How to get a long with jerks -

Sometimes other people make me tired.  Whether it is the drama of a co-worker; the insensitivity of a friend; the lack of self-esteem in others that will manifest in a rudeness towards me.  All of these and more can make me exponentially more tired.  Mostly, because we can’t control other people and their actions; we can only control how we react in those situations.  In the end, no matter our choices, other people make me tired.  Here are a few strategies that sometimes work on some people that sometimes stink:

 - Kill them with kindness and then run away.  Self-explanatory and sometimes pretty hard    to do.  But it’s awfully hard for people to say or do anything against you when you have seriously been nothing but pleasant, even if you are secretly glaring at them.  

 - Eliminating the toxic people you are able to be away from.  Some people you don’t HAVE to interact with, so don’t (especially if they somehow make you feel like crap).  A toxic friend or relative?  No thanks. This one is the easiest for me believe it or not.

 - Don’t show up to the argument or drama that you have been invited to.  Ha – love this! Your officemate had another fight with her boyfriend?  – OMG you don’t care.  Your body language and comments that change the subject and don’t ask for every detail will slowly train her (hopefully) that you –OMG - seriously you are there to do a job!!  Do you feel a teeny bit mean?  Probably, but in the long run it is worth it.

 - Survival of the fittest and nicest.  Some people make me feel guilty when it takes me awhile to call them back, and when that happens it takes even longer the next time.  Who wants to spend their precious energy being made to feel guilty when the phone works both ways? Not me.  The friends I have fit in to the survival of the fittest and the nicest category.  These are the people that don’t get their feelings hurt when I don’t attend the bachelorette party or take a little too long to email them back.  These are true friends. They truly love me and because of it they will take me with my flaws (tiredness) and all.  

We all know the difference in our friends, relatives and coworkers, etc.  We know the ones that our good for us and the ones that aren’t.  I use the alcoholic anonymous saying here and added in the word people.  - "Allow me to accept the things (people) I cannot change, the courage to change the things (people) I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”  

Sorry for all the ecard thingys - I still like them.