No matter where you go, you will find jerks everywhere, be it your workplace or any social gathering. Avoiding them is perhaps the best way to deal with such people. However, this measure may not work every time. Here are some effective measures which can help you deal with jerks.
First find the reason
There is a solution for every problem. If we run from our problem, the problem will run towards us. So, if you want to deal with a problem, just stop, take a deep breath, and think why this problem became a problem for you. May be the problem wasn’t actually a problem before and became a problem solely because you made it become one. If you do believe that a person is behaving awkwardly, communicate with him/her and try to bridge the gap of understanding between you two.
Make that person most entertaining to you instead of irritating
If a person is irritating you continuously, do not just sit there. If you feel you are unable to do anything, just irritate him/her back. For this, you could start making fun of that person. Always remember this âa jerk always has an ego problemâ. So, when you do get back at him/her, he/she would know that it wouldn’t be wise to irritate to you again. They will only take advantage of you when they feel they have the chance. So, be strict and do not allow anybody to ridicule or pester you.
Stop responding to their actions
This is perhaps the best solution for this problem. If the person is continually affecting you, and talking with them isn’t helping, just learn to ignore them. Be calm and donât fight with them. When they do realize that their actions are not affecting you even for a single moment, and you are totally busy with your work, they would probably back off from their activities. These kinds of people only can affect us when we give them a chance for doing the same. So, if you just avoid and ignore them, then they will never come back to you. This process though, could take time. So, you should have to be patient for this. Initially, the person might get fiercer when they see that you have stopped responding, but they will gradually wither away and stop their activities.
Warn them
If you used all the options and they are still the same person who is keen on hurting you, both mentally and physically, stop hurting yourself and warn them. Talk to them in private and make them realize that their actions might have serious repercussions. Talk to them in a composed yet peaceful manner and make them realize that your silence should not be taken for granted. Tell them that you would want to sort out the problem at the earliest, and if they do not stop their actions, you would have to deal with it in your own way. ‘Being subtle, yet confident is the key here. Your talking with them should not make them angry. At the same time, your conversation should not let them take you for granted.
Make them realize that you are no less
Ever heard of the principle ‘tit for tat’? Well, it is not the best principle, but sometimes needs to be used as well. For dealing with jerks, if all fails, this might be the perfect solution to get them back to their deserved place. Make them realize that you are no less than them. So, just learn to give them back. If the person used to tease you in front of others, you have to start retorting with equal energy. If the person is showing anger on you, retort to him with equal anger. If the person is your office or college fellow and using your work without your consent, then you should consider devising a plan and giving it back to him in a proper way. Yet, devising such plans indeed might waste up a considerable amount of time which could have been better utilized. So, it is always better to contact the higher authorities if the situation is getting out of hand. Contacting the higher authorities will most probably show the jerk his place. Also, it minimizes the chances of getting hurt ourselves if we play the tit for tat game. At the end of it, your main aim is to ward him off your path so that he doesn’t disturb you. As long as you can do that, you should be happy.
