Teaching people how to treat you in 5 ways

Photo by Lynda B on Unsplash

You would think that treating someone in a decent, kind, fair way would be easy to figure out, but the fact is, you have to teach people how to treat you. Here are 5 ways to do it.

Don’t react with emotion. Although toxic behavior, unkind remarks, and actions can make tempers flare, if you deal with the situation without emotions, you will have a more productive resolution.

Draw clear boundaries. You have to let people know what is acceptable and what is not. When someone says something inappropriate, don’t respond for 5 seconds. Let silence do its work, then ask the person to repeat what was said. At that point, the individual will usually apologize. If not, have a calm conversation about why the statement was not acceptable.

Create consequences for bad behavior. When someone crosses the line, there should be consequences. Those consequences could be a refusal to continue an activity or conversation. It doesn’t have to be dramatic; it only needs to send a message.

Stand up for yourself. Many people let things go instead of addressing toxic behavior. It’s better to be alone than to be treated poorly. Call someone out when you are treated with condescension, belittled, or ignored. You deserve better.

Let people know you have options. Walk away when toxic behavior doesn’t change. Let people know you have options and that you deserve to be surrounded by good people who genuinely value you.