How not to become a victim of emotional manipulation and protect your own psychological health? From time to time, each of us meets people with whom we feel really bad. Moreover, it is extremely difficult to understand where exactly this “bad” is localized. Your mood simply deteriorates, the desire to communicate disappears and your self-esteem drops. How not to become a victim of emotional blackmail? Don’t make excuses When a manipulator begins to put moral pressure on you, an automatic desire may arise to start making excuses. It is strictly not recommended to do this, because in this way you put yourself in a vulnerable position. Try to maintain a calm tone even if your emotions are running high. And then confidently define your own boundaries. Often, the phrase “I heard you, but I have a different opinion on this matter” is quite enough to stop emotional manipulation. Agree to confrontation Many people are led into emotional manipulation only because they are afraid of open conflict. But in this case they suffer no less, but even more. What is the way out of the situation? Resolve this conflict internally. Accept the very prospect that you have to openly sort things out with another person and defend your position. But in order to be emotionally ready for this confrontation, you need to allow yourself to be “bad”, not to meet the expectations of others. Only in this case will you not feel guilty for not behaving as others would like. “I often fall for the emotional manipulation of my colleagues. We have several toxic people at work who constantly get on my nerves. I understand that in this situation there is also my responsibility. But I find it so difficult to maintain my position of calm and detachment when these people start attacking. Not even five minutes pass after our conversation with them begins, and I snap into negativity. And then I start to reproach myself for my “bad” behavior,” says Margarita. Most of us resort to manipulation from time to time. This is in a sense normal and natural. But, at the same time, it is very important to be able to recognize and stop emotional manipulation, since it is toxic towards all participants in communication. Sincerely, Your psychologist, coach, logotherapist, specialist in self-development and self-esteem, Natalya Akhmedova