How to Deal with Haters: Get Rid of the Negativity & Keep Your Zen

Learning how to deal with haters will free you from negativity and cruelty in your daily life. Remember—they’re only jealous!

I’ve come to realize something—most people only speak up to say something negative or to drag someone else down. Few people speak up to give praise or a compliment. It’s a sad world we live in, making it necessary we learn how to deal with haters.

Social media has become a phenomenon. Can you remember a time without Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram? It’s hard to think back to those times. Maybe you weren’t even born before the boom of social media took place!

The problem is, while social media is fantastic for so many things, it makes it far easier to bully, drag someone down, or simply post negative comments. You have no clue how that simple negative comment will affect another person. But it can easily lead down a slippery slope towards self loathing and even depression.

[Read: How to not be a pushover: what makes you one and how to take a stand]

How to deal with haters in seven steps

If you’re dealing with negativity, either online or in person, learn how to deal with haters and free yourself from their clutches of cruelty. It might seem impossible to believe right now. Trust me, haters only hate because they’re jealous!

#1 Don’t respond to their negativity. It’s the hardest thing in the world when you want to react to something and you have to bite your tongue. But, if you want to learn how to deal with haters in the most effective way, it’s something you have to do. When you fail to respond to someone’s cruelty, the power they intended to yield over you doesn’t exist.

Walking away with your head held high is the strongest thing you can do. Sure, it’s hard to do, but bite your lip, take a deep breath and put one foot in front of the other. [Read: How to stop negative people from sapping all your energy]

#2 Block abuse from online sources. Most negativity appears online, simply because people are a lot braver when they’re hiding behind a keyboard or a cell phone. They probably wouldn’t say these things to your face!

If you’re experiencing online bullying or a constant slew of negative comments, you have the power to block those people and report them to the social media platform.There is a zero tolerance policy in place now for cyberbullying. Take advantage of that and learn how to deal with haters as a result. [Read: 14 calm ways to recognize mean people and deal with them]

#3 Be the bigger person. It might seem borderline impossible to be kind to someone who is being negative or cruel to you, but it will wind them up! By being kind to everyone, even haters, you’re the bigger person. You’re refusing to sink down to their level. It will also show them that you’re not affected by their words, whether you are in reality or not.

By reacting, you’re giving haters what they want, so rise above it. Be the bigger person, and see how much it annoys them!

#4 Know your support system. Haters will hate, but your friends will love you regardless. Know your support system and stick closely to them. You can absorb a lot of support and positivity from your friends.

When that happens, the actions of haters really don’t matter. Knowing your support system also helps you to cope when someone says something which affects you on a deep emotional level.

#5 Understand why haters hate in the first place. When you understand why people say and do nasty things, you’ll have the power to learn how to deal with haters in the most effective way. You’ll quickly learn that people who do and say these things are only reflecting back on themselves badly. What they say and do is a total reflection of them. It has nothing to do with you at all. You just happen to be the one they’re choosing to focus their negativity on at this time.

The most common reason for being negative towards another person is jealousy, so in some ways, you could take it as a backhanded compliment! [Read: 15 signs of envious friends to recognize the harmful people in your life]

#6 Talk about how you feel. The most important thing when learning how to deal with haters is to know that you don’t just have to brush your feelings under the carpet. Talk to someone about how you feel, perhaps a close friend or a third party who isn’t involved.

Being the victim of a hater can be hard. Depending upon the level of the abuse you’re facing, it’s probably going to affect you on an emotional level in some way. Talk about it! Be open about your feelings. [Read: 16 signs of a jealous friend you may not always notice]

#7 Never change who you are. Remember, when people say mean things to you, it’s not because you’re a bad person or you’re terrible at what you do, it’s because someone else is jealous or they’re acting out for another reason.

Never change who you are because of the actions of a hater. This is the number one thing to remember when learning how to deal with haters. By changing even slightly, you’re giving them what they want and need. Continuing to be you means that they’re not winning. [Read: How to recognize envious friends who subtly want to harm you]

How to embrace and love yourself

While you’re learning how to deal with haters, remember that if you feel abused or threatened, you should not simply put up with it or even attempt to rise above it. Report it to the necessary bodies and allow them to deal with it. Haters are nothing but bullies. There is no place for bullying in this day and age.

[Read: How to deal with bullies: 13 grown up ways to deal with mean people]

We tend to think of bullies only existing on school playgrounds, but that’s not the case. Bullies exist at all ages and in all walks of life. If you’re unlucky enough to meet one, either in person or online, you don’t have to deal with their negativity or their abuse.

What you can do however is avoid giving them further fuel to the fire. Understand that haters aren’t hating on you because you’re a bad or negative person, they’re hating because they’re envious of you or something you’re doing.

Rather than being strong enough to pat you on the back or say ‘well done’, haters are filled with so much self-hatred that they have to push it onto someone else. What they’re actually telling you is that they hate themselves so much that they can’t deal with the fact you’re doing well. It’s sad in many ways. But it never excuses their behavior.

[Read: People who put you down – how to face them and grow from within]

We all know that haters are gonna hate, but why should you allow them to push you into a corner and cause your life to become negative? Focus on the good things in your life. Know that you’re doing well and you’re making an impact. Otherwise, you’d never have attracted the attention of a hater in the first place.

Never change your approach or what you’re doing because if you change anything, you’re letting them win. You’re giving them the power. They’ll only use that to move on and do exactly the same thing to someone else.

Unfortunately, there are many people out there who simply can’t handle seeing someone else do well or feel good about themselves. It’s a toxic world we live in on so many levels. If we rise above the behavior of haters, we can slowly stamp it out.

[Read: 18 ways to develop high self-esteem and start winning in life]

Learning how to deal with haters is about knowing why people hate in the first place. The world can be a negative place, but never allow it to change who you are or what you’re doing. You keep on doing you!

The post How to Deal with Haters: Get Rid of the Negativity & Keep Your Zen is the original content of LovePanky - Your Guide to Better Love and Relationships.