Powerful Tricks That Leave Manipulators Helpless Against YOU!
Put an end to rotten tricks. We've all met them before, the masters of manipulation and dark whispers. As soon as we start talking, they take a breath to fire their poisonous verbal arrows at us. They meddle in every conversation, hijack every exchange, and want one thing most of all: total control. Avoiding them is best, but not always possible. The most popular crime scene for such back-stabbing puppeteers is the workplace. Where else do they have free rein, allowed to help themselves to their heart's content for at least eight hours a day? The people there are at the mercy of their manipulative contemporaries. On the one hand, their annoying activities are difficult to document, since it is always a matter of he said, she said. On the other hand, skillful manipulation through words hardly falls under mobbing, since the intention behind it is difficult to prove. Unfortunately, no magic spells have yet been proven against such go-getting provocateurs, but there are ways and means to defend oneself against them. In this article, we would like to introduce you to five particularly effective methods for stopping super-manipulators.
1. Don't worry about what other people think.
Okay, this is where it gets a little harsh right off the bat, but only in appearance, because you're not going on the attack with this argument, you're using it as a defense. If you're constantly subjected to verbal attacks, you're allowed to at least retaliate with words at some point. If you have had enough of these constant unqualified comments, show your colors. Saying, "I'm not interested in your opinion" should reach the mark, even for the smallest minds. It’s easy to understand and direct. Even the stupid ones, who unfortunately are often among the loudest contemporaries, cannot misunderstand anything here. Depending on how polite you want to remain despite everything, you can of course vary this announcement and tone it down a bit. Proven manipulators, however, rarely deserve our understanding and compassion. They live mainly on negative energy and sucking the joy of life out of their fellow human beings with their diabolical activities.
2. Make the perpetrator the pitiful victim.
In the case of psycho terror through poisonous words, you may, for once, confidently play the victim card. However, it's different than you thought. Manipulative people see themselves as superior and elevated. They therefore constantly impose their opinion on their environment, because they know everything better and feel as queen and king in the midst of miserable proletarians. To tell them the truth literally derails them. Your comment, "I really feel sorry for you, you must be a very lonely and helpless person to be so desperate to express control. My sincere sympathy." If there's one thing offenders can't stand on, it's being relegated to victimhood. Their demonstratively displayed omnipotence and their standing above things is seriously tarnished in this way. Their hard-won image as social high-flyers suffers massive damage.
3. No!
It cannot be stressed enough: "No" is a complete answer. It requires no justification, excuse or embellishments. No one who belongs to the adult league needs to justify saying "no." However, it may take some time for savvy and skilled manipulators to accept this answer. You will probably have to learn the number one trick for saying no successfully. This is that in particularly stubborn cases, and this might be one of them, you’ll have to use the magic word "no" three times. Practiced string-pullers don’t let go so quickly once they have set their minds on something. On average, it actually takes three attempts before they finally give up. Important: You have to keep your "no" short and to the point. No long excuses, no lukewarm justifications. Stick to that crisp wording and don't deviate from the text. Manipulators look for any “in”, so as soon as they find a weakness, they hook right in and break down your originally consistent "no" to a "maybe", which they can soften to a "yes" in no time at all. Even if it's hard for you: learn to say "no", it's essential for your mental health and saves you a lot of headaches and unnecessary conflicts.
4. Please don't talk to me!
Manipulative contemporaries are pure poison for their environment. Even in the smallest doses, they and their verbal aberrations are absolutely toxic to our well-being. As with all harmful influences from the outside, the same applies here: Total abstinence is the order of the day. When all your polite attempts to stop these pests have failed, you may confidently leave the last vestige of good parenting behind and make a clear announcement. "Don't talk to me." You are thus erecting a wall around you that will serve as a protective barrier. However, the same applies here as for the "no". You will probably have to repeat yourself a few times until this simple message truly reaches the provocateur. After all, she or he doesn't want to understand this statement and usually has a lot of staying power when it comes to delivering unchecked venomous verbal pinpricks.
5. I really don't have the time for this.
A more elegant version, that can nevertheless sometimes help, is exaggerating your own self opposite the manipulator. With the simple sentence: "I really don't have time for that" you suggest to her or him that you have to divide your resources. In other words, your time is more important than hers or his, which automatically makes you a more important person. This form of rejection is subtle and a bit insulting at the same time. However, it is not possible to prove any malicious intent on your part, because not having time is not a crime. You can consider this announcement as the lowest level of your anti-manipulation plan. Anyone not completely ignorant or stupid understands this hint of a boundary immediately. However, skilled puppeteers will probably not be intimidated by it so quickly either. What you will always need when dealing with these people is staying power and consistency. Even the knowledge that you have every right on your side will not be enough to back you up on some days. Manipulative contemporaries thrive on making life as difficult as possible for others.
Today’s Conclusion
When is enough finally enough? Manipulators, toxic contemporaries, energy vampires or bullies: we all meet these types of people sooner or later in life. We are not always immediately aware of the imminent danger they pose. Not all of us have sufficient self-esteem to immediately put opponents in their place. Out of false politeness or to avoid conflict, we usually avoid fighting back for far too long. But this is exactly where the key lies. Once you have been given the dubious title of "easy prey", you will never get rid of it. Before you know it, you'll have the reputation of being a willing victim. Listen to your gut. If a spoken word doesn't sit well with you, it probably wasn't well-intentioned.