How to deal with negative people?

I don't know if I've noticed it more recently b/c I've adopted a more positive lifestyle but I feel I'm becoming a bit intolerant of negative people. I often times find myself trying to pick my friends or family up out of the dumps or to help them shift their negative attitudes into positive ones. I find with certain people they are constantly negative, they play the poor me card and the cloud is always over their head. I'm not one to feel sorry for myself or even complain all that much, I try to always look at the bright side of things but I'm running out of ways to deal with these people that are consistantly negative. If i'm trying to lead a positive, happy, healthy lifestyle, I don't really see a spot for people like this who pretty much just debbie downers. The weather, my job, my life, my lack of love life, me, me, me, why? why? why? Some of these people and situations are avoidable, others, not so much. How do NOT use all of my energy trying to pump them up and inturn end up feeling down about it?:huh:

Simple. Do what I do.

Tell them when they quit being a debbie downer, you'll be around more. You've got the negativity out of your life and you don't want it in your life from now on.

My best advice is accept what you cannot change. You are positive, and that's the best change you can make. It's also the only thing you can do to control the situation. It's not your responsibility to keep everyone else positive. Some people will be negative forever. It's sad, but plenty of people go through life with a bad attitude, and there's nothing you can do about it if they aren't seeking to change.

I have recently developed a much greater positive attitude as well. I recently got married and moved to a new city, and my life is really going great. I try to do my best every day. However, my family back home, while I always knew they were negative, now that I am not around them all the time, when they call, I am like, wow... I never want to talk to my parents again! They are soooo negative. My mom basically calls me just to complain. She doesn't even ask how I am doing and how my life is now that I live 2000 miles away from home. She just goes on and on about how her life is so hard.

It's very hard dealing with self-centered, rude, negative, and "downer" people. They are always there. And it stinks even more when they're your own family! But all I can say it to keep YOUR spirits up and you'll always be headed in the right direction.

That's funny I just deleted all my fitness pals yesterday because of this exact reason! I wanted to scream 'IT'S YOU, YOU ARE DOING THIS TO YOU, AND I AM DOING THIS TO MYSELF!' I am so sorry are going through the same thing. I am trying to establish a group of positive people in my life that I can be excited for all the good they are doing. Good luck to you!

I'll be mr negative here: It's very self-centered and selfish to say, 'I am so positive now, I can't deal with negative people'. You people saying that are actually being very narcy. Or those who say 'I've become intolerant of negativity'. I'm a pretty cynical person myself, but I try to stay positive, but it's hard because reality creeps in. I think it's much healthier attitude to acknowledge how bad things are situationally, and try to take steps to amend them or circumvent them.

Recently I've had a friend consistently show his intolerance about anything I said that was taken as negative-such as talking about the aurora, co shooting for example-to the point that I find him very annoying now. I dislike having to auto-censor myself just because someone wants to bury their head in the sand.

It feel this neg-intolerant person either has an escapist or elitist attitude, and it's fake or unsustainable or both, sorry to say, all you happy fit, people reading this.

No, I'm glad this friend of mine is trying new things, and growing in different ways, but I'm ready for him to be the him that I already accepted in his pre-I-am-better-now phase. I will gladly accept the new him also, but only when he becomes so unaffected by me and my unchanging me-ness.

In the meantime, I don't like having to treat people with kid gloves because the reality is that if things are bad, address them, don't hide behind this intolerance.

My advice to you people about positivity: If you are truly an 'enlightened' happy positive being, then stop acting like this is about you all the time and try to help these negative people. They are negative for a reason. Maybe they have aids or have legitimately had very bad luck and are emotionally stuck.

Once you've helped people who are negative by showing them how to be positive, then I'll believe your authenticity when you say you've gotten somewhere with your positivity. Otherwise, you're being just as much an *kitten* as the 'debbie downer', just in the opposite direction. Negative people, btw, have an uncanny ability to pierce through fakeness and find it absolutely infuriating.

You can't let negative people get under your skin. And you can't let them drag you down with them. Sometimes trying to be positive means having less communication with people who drag you down. Find more positive people to fill your day with!! Find the people who get the flu and say "woo hoo NyQuil tonight!!" lol-that was me last week lol.

"You complain about this a lot. Do you want to do something about it, or just complain? OK, complain to someone else, then."

Yep just let the negative ones drift away and seek out other positive people to buoy you up.
I call it recharging when I spend time with other up-beat people.
I ration the time I have to spend with the negative people as I appreciate you can't avoid them completely.
And I don't offer them advice, or solutions cos they don't want them, they just want someone to listen to their moans.
So you can try the " Really? Oh that's terrible for you, what a shame, no - I have no idea how to solve that one/ no I don't know what I would have done/said" or the "So how did you fix it?" Or "So what are you going to do about it?"
It jars them into new thought patterns.

I agree that you can challenge some of the repeat offenders with a bit of feedback if you think they can take it.
Sometimes it shocks them into self-analysis - which can only be a good thing.