Comments on: How Re-Structuring Routine Interactions With Others Can Promote Positive Growth

By: Updates In The Personal Development Blogosphere 8-9-09

Updates In The Personal Development Blogosphere 8-9-09 — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 16:46:51 +0000

[...] How Re-Structuring Routine Interactions With Others Can Promote Positive Growth [...]

By: Armen Shirvanian

Armen Shirvanian — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 04:29:59 +0000

@James M., I hear you there. I think most are highly sensitive to negativity, but some remain around it and some put in effort to get away from it. That is a great point about the TV not being for news, which would seem atypical to some, but I can completely understand it. Who wants to hear material that doesn’t actually have much practical relevance, and is filled with negative occurrences, when they could instead read positive material that propels them forward? We are on the same page.

That is interesting about using learned meditation techniques to buffer yourself from negativity. It would seem like that would put you into a state where you could better handle, or quickly understand, negative material that is tossed at you. It is good to hear your thoughts.

By: Armen Shirvanian

Armen Shirvanian — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 04:16:31 +0000

@Avil Beckford, I appreciate that. It is cool to hear that you connected with it the way you described. That scenario makes sense, because why waste your energy for nothing right? You severed the connection and maybe she got a sense of what kind of effect she was having. If not due to you, eventually she would find out how her personality was affecting others. Often these same folks don’t really want to be using up your energy, but have become accustomed to it, so it is up to you to adjust.

That is cool about your reflecting on what you can do. There are lots of little methods to use. I read somewhere that when dealing with a negative person who says many negative things about their day, you can respond with “tell me something positive about your day”. This can lead to hearing something good for a change, and alerts them to how they are coming across.

By: James M.

James M. — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 00:49:14 +0000

I am very sensitive to negativity. In the house, as much as possible, the tv is open only for our favourite tv shows, not for news. I don’t watch news, I don’t read newspapers, and I don’t want to listen to people talk about hardships and disasters and death. Whenever I get exposed to this news, I feel like some parasites have clung to me and I have to bath or do some symbolic movements like whisking them away to get myself free of them.

Thankfully, I have found some techniques from my meditation group to protect myself in instances where I have no choice but be exposed to such environment.

By: Avil Beckford

Avil Beckford — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 21:47:48 +0000

Thanks for this post, I smiled a bit while I was reading it. There was someone in my life who I refused to speak to first or last thing because she was very negative. She knew she was negative and readily admitted it but would do nothing to change. Every time I talked to her she brought me down to rock bottom. I gradually interacted with her less and less until I finally severed the connection.

I have also been looking at myself to see what I could be doing differently and how I can improve myself and the way I respond to people and situations. Thanks for your post.