Staying friends with difficult personalities
We all have our own personalities. How do we make our personalities work with others? How do we stay friends with the one friend who is always so difficult to deal with? We all have gone through friendships, some last a lifetime others last a season. Some we love and want to keep forever, others fade away and into the next. But how do you stay friends with that person who is always so hard on us? Maybe it is because when they are hard on us, it makes us be stronger in return. Have patience and love for your friends and they will show the same respect to you in return. Try some of the ways listed below to stay friends with those difficult people in our lives.
Understand who they are. Find out about this person's background and history. This will help you to find out who they are and why they are the way they are. Try not to get to personal with them, but enough to help you figure out who they are. Be careful not to open a subject that may cause conflict. If they do not open to talk to you right away, start by talking about yourself and slowly get them to open up. It may take a couple hours, days or months. Once you understand who they are, you will be able to recognize why the do the things they do and say. Remember that understanding a person can be very difficult to figure out, you must understand yourself first.
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Find different ways to respond to your friends who are difficult. Sometimes rewording what you want to say or responding a different way will change the whole situation. For example, if you get into a discussion about dogs and you say that you like little dogs and your friends respond with a negative or hard comment rephrase your comment; say something to the effect of small dogs are a little easier to take care of or they small dogs cost less to take care of then bigger dogs. Most difficult people like to have an explanation of why.
Learn how to explain yourself with a difficult friend. They like to hear why and how you are to approach or handle a situation. They find it as a challenge and like to be able to help. Remember that when it seems like they are telling you what to do, they are more than likely giving you some simple advice. Don't forget that you have a completely different personality than them and you are both going to respond different.
Be patient with your difficult friend. They may not even know that they are acting that way. Find an appropriate time and place and tell them that you are having problems communication with them or being around them. Be careful with your words. You don't want to hurt their pride or humiliate them; doing so will only make things harder for you because they will feel embarrassed and will defend themselves with mean words. Choose your words carefully and be patient with their response. You may get a positive one and you may get a negative one. You need the make the decision if you relationship is ready to handle talking about it.
Know when it is time to take a break from your difficult friends. You know when you can handle so much of that person. Taking breaks from friends can be good for you; it will help to build your relationship stronger. If you friend calls you and asks if they have done something, be open and honest with them. You would want them to do the same for you.
