Coping with Others

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Whether in the workplace, at the grocery store, or at home, you may run into people that prove to be difficult. They may be an obstacle in the way of you carrying out your ideas, and may leave you feeling helpless. Of course, one difficult person should not stand in your way of carrying out your plans.

“Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darknesses of other people.” – Carl Jung

To learn how to internally move past these difficult people and mentally be okay with proceeding or carrying on with your day can be an obstacle in itself. However, as the quote states above, reflecting about your own challenges may help you to have a deeper understanding of the difficulties you see in someone else. For example, if you struggle with procrastination yourself, but are frustrated with a coworker that has constant delays on projects, reflecting on your shared challenge may help you to better understand your coworker. This may avoid tense situations and conflicts which can be avoided just if you take a step back from the situation and examine the reason behind the difficulties which you are observing.