It never ceases to amaze me how much attention so many people give to bad behavior. We can have 100 fantastic guests at an event, all showering us with love, affection and praise but one nasty comment can “ruin” our entire night. 10 people can fly out to share a special moment or enjoy a vacation together but one can become the star of the memory by playing the villain throughout the trip.
Many child psychologists encourage parents to “ignore” negative comments, tantrums and outbursts by acting bored or not responding with extra attention and to instead use the energy you’d put into yelling into enthusiasm when the child does something positive. Maybe we ought to take this approach to everyone.
I wonder what our lives might be like if we stopped giving so much attention and power to the negative comments and toxic behavior and instead nipped it in the bud by calmly drawing a boundary and moving on, towards something more comforting (without giving those comments and that behavior more power by focusing on it for the rest of the day).
Ignoring it doesn’t mean accepting it but it could mean a better mental state for the rest of the people involved.
* of course, if you are in danger in any way, you must take action to protect yourself by getting out of the situation and calling the authorities. Ignoring someone who is seeking to physically harm you won’t work.
