Tips for dealing with nosy people.
Dear Authentic Introvert,
We live in a world where people talk for the sake of it
even if they don’t have anything worthwhile to say.
They start with small talk about each other’s well-being, the weather and how’s their day going,
which nobody should and does care about.
But because they’ve run out of things to say, they start asking questions about you, your personal life, why you’re in a certain mood at that moment and so on.
They want to figure out a reason for everything about us even before we do.
This can get quite frustrating, especially when you don’t want to sound rude but the only logical thing to say is that this is none of their business.
Let’s rephrase that.
“I prefer not to discuss my personal life. I like to be private.”
Sounds better?
Or you use redirection, which would be obvious but on purpose.
“I’m not sure about that, but have you seen the latest update on climate change? How long do we really have?”
See? You switched to a better and more important topic using humor.
A light-hearted joke can deflect the conversation without offending.
However, if humor is not something you’re natural at, you should keep your responses short and to the point to discourage further probing.
And if you’re already feeling overwhelmed, it’s okay to excuse yourself from the conversation politely.
It’s your right and using it now and then ensures that people understand this too.
Being prepared in advance about what you are and aren’t willing to share helps greatly.
Key Takeaway:
You’re not obligated to share anything you don’t want so use humor, short answers and/or “excuse me” to make it obvious.
So, were you bullied as a child too?
Just Kidding,
Sachin Sharma
Leave a Reply