Anyone know someone who is just negative about everything?
I spent the day yesterday with an individual who i am just really getting to know and by the end of the day i felt completely drained and almost down in the dumps!! (And that's not normal for me) I have heard this person complain before, but I have never spent 4 hours with her alone, until yesterday. Quite honestly, i don't know if i want to do it again. She complained about everything. When i say everything...i mean everything!! From people around us to how long the elevators take. I tried to use humor and say things like "it's not so bad" or "hey, it could be worse.", but sometimes she just looked at me like i had three eyes when i would say these things. Or at least i felt that way.
I discussed it with my husband last night and he convinced me to give it one more shot, maybe she was just having an off day he said. So, i will. I know we all have our "off" days every now and then.
Any suggestions on how to politely handle all of the negative comments? Maybe throw in some positive comments that hopefully wont offend her. For example: with the elevators taking so long yesterday...i would have suggested we take the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator, but we had strollers. (remember, i'm just getting to know her - so it's not like i can tell her "Enough already!" which is what i wanted to do yesterday, but i didn't)
just~me
I have a friend who can be
I have a friend who can be negative about everything, but isn't in that mood all the time. Giving her another chance might hit a different mood next time. But if you still aren't enjoying your time together next time, you might want to consider sticking to shorter times together or passing on the next opportunity. Your time is valuable too and if this relationship isn't making you happy, you have to weigh that in. Good luck!
Lovemy4 is a discussion leader for North Central Phoenix, tired mother of 4 great kids and wife to one great husband.
This is sad. If she only
This is sad. If she only knew how her negative attitude was causing her to lose potential friends. Yes, possibly she was having a bad day. That would be wonderful for you to give it another try. But if not, you have to figure out how much you're willing to put up with. From the sound of it, I don't think your being positive is going to change her attitude. I, for one, don't know if I'd have the patience to be around such a negative person (unless, of course, she was going through a difficult time in her life - that's different). Life is just too short expend so much negative energy.
Lattemom is the mother of three energetic kids ages 6, 8 & 11 and a discussion leader for arizonamoms.com.
I use to work on Saturdays
I use to work on Saturdays with a coworker exactly like this. Every word was negative about some person or thing. I"m the total opposite, so I know exactly how you feel. I use to complain to my husbnd too how difficult it was to spend an entire days work with a negative person.
I really liked her, just not her negativity outlook on life, so every time she had something to say, I would just nod at it, or say, "oh really." I never went in depth or added to the conversation. I just listened and I think she finally realized that I wasn't going to add to it. I ran into her recently in the store and was happy to see her, but again, I will always remember how negative she is. She is not a person I would want to be around often, because it does suck the energy out of us.
Maybe by you being a positive person will rub off on her. Remember that God puts us places for a reason.
One Happy Mom in Arizona.