Joyce Ann Isidro
Have you ever found yourself assuming the worst out of everything and everyone, believing that nothing good can ever happen in your life?
If so, that might be a sign that you’re a negative person.
While feeling negativity every once in a while is normal, being in a constant state of it can be damaging to yourself and the people around you.
Want to know more about the signs of a negative person and how to avoid being one? Read on to learn more!
1) They complain too much, too often
Negative people complain a lot because they only see the bad out of everything, and none of the good.
If you’ve ever been with a negative person, you know this behavior perfectly well, and how they usually complain over the smallest, most trivial issues.
Whether the weather is too hot, that their boss is too annoying, or that they have too much work to do but no time for themselves, you’ll never hear the end of it.
They make it seem like nothing good ever happens in their life, but this is often not the case. They usually are just incapable of seeing the good things in their life.
However, even if they complain too much and are always critical of everything, they have a tendency to hate criticism.
2) They hate criticism
Criticism is important to our growth and maturity as people.
But negative people just can’t handle criticism.
Even if the criticism is constructive, they’re quick to take these as personal attacks. Even the smallest criticism for them is big enough to send them down a spiral.
But why is this?
Well, it’s because negative people are usually incredibly insecure and are in constant need of validation.
And when they receive the opposite of validation, which is criticism, they take it very personally.
Similarly, negative people don’t like hearing the opinions of others, either.
3) They don’t entertain the opinions of others
Negative people aren’t open to the opinions of others.
Even if they ask for advice, at the end of the day, all they really listen to is themselves.
It’s not that they don’t want to hear you out—it’s just that they’re incapable of hearing opinions that are different from theirs.
For negative people, different equals bad, which means they don’t like changing the way they do things, which includes the way they think.
This is why when they encounter an opinion that is different from theirs, they don’t really know what to do with it, even if they specifically asked for it.
4) They’re incredibly judgmental
Negative people find fault in almost everyone and everything.
They assume the worst out of every situation because they truly believe nothing good can come out of anything, which makes them incredibly judgmental.
This also comes from the expectation that everything must be perfect—at least in their standards, before it is ever considered good enough.
They might not be open to criticism and to hearing the opinions of others, but this doesn’t prevent them from having scathing opinions on everything and everyone.
Often, however, they might not be aware that their opinions can hurt the people around them.
5) They’re pessimistic
Negative people expect the worst out of everything.
Unlike stoics who do this to prepare themselves for the worst possible scenario of each situation, negative people expect the worst because they truly believe that the opposite is not possible.
Negative people, unlike stoics, are usually also not aware of their own pessimism.
This is why, in most cases, they are unable to change their behavior. After all, the first thing one must do to change their behavior is to be self-aware.
6) They worry constantly
Negative people are anxious people.
They’re constantly plagued by what ifs, such as “what if I’m not good enough?”
They are in a constant cycle of worrying, and they genuinely don’t know how to stop, because they’re constantly afraid that something bad will happen soon.
This is also why they hate change, because for them, change is always bad because something new equals something bad for them.
7) They hate change
Change is an inevitable part of life. As people, we need to change in order to grow. Otherwise, we become stagnant, which is usually not a good thing to be.
However, negative people find comfort in stagnance, because they’re afraid of change.
For them, nothing good can ever be brought about by change.
Even if they don’t really like the current situation they’re in, they’d rather stay there than experience change, because they don’t really believe that change can happen for good.
And because change is already scary for them, risks are just that much more terrifying for negative people.
8) They never take risks
A risk is called a risk because there’s always the chance that it might not turn out to be good for you.
But for some people, they willingly take risks because they want to take a chance to have something good, even if there’s a slight chance that it might not turn out the way they want it to.
However, for negative people, any risk is too much of a risk.
Even if there’s only a small chance that the result will be bad, they will not be able to stop fixating on that very small chance.
For them, a chance at something good happening is not good enough if it’s not a hundred percent.
This outlook in life really makes negative people to be draining to be around.
9) They’re draining to be around
If you’ve ever been around a negative person, you know how draining it is to be around them.
When you’re with them, the way you see the world can also sometimes change for the worse. Even if this is often just a temporary change, this can mean that being around them feels like they’re sucking the life out of you.
The way they look at life like nothing good can ever happen can often be contagious, which means it doesn’t feel good to be around them.
This is why they usually have very little to no friends, which honestly makes sense. People who make life seem really bad are not really a person you’d want to constantly hang out with.
10) They think they’re too old for everything
Negative people usually think everything is too immature or childish. To them, almost everything is something they’re too old for.
However, even as adults, we must learn that there is an inner child inside of us that often wants to be satisfied, and entertaining this inner child doesn’t always mean we’re immature or childish.
Often, it simply means we must afford ourselves the joy of being alive like we did when we were children.
Ever wonder why negative people seem so miserable? This is precisely why: because they don’t allow themselves to feel joy.
Often, this is something they don’t consciously choose to do—it’s something they’ve adapted to do in autopilot because they generally believe living is not a very joyful thing to be.
How to avoid being a negative person
Most of us experience negative feelings and find ourselves in unpleasant situations at least a few times in our lives.
However, the important thing to remind ourselves is to not get sucked into a black hole of negativity.
If you feel you might be a negative person, the first thing you must do is acknowledge your negative behavior. From there, it will be easier to learn what to do and how to change accordingly.
Below are some tips that might help you on how to stop being a negative person.
Be open to new experiences
New things can often be scary, but it is important to know that new doesn’t necessarily mean bad.
While there is always the possibility that you might not like the new things that you will try, it is still important to try them. Why?
Because even if you don’t like them, you’re able to get to know yourself better when you try.
This is because being open to new experiences helps you figure out the things you like, and this applies to basically everything there is: from music, hobbies, food, to meeting new people and prospective romantic partners.
So go out there and try new stuff! Don’t be scared to dip your toes in the water—I promise there won’t be any sharks!
Realize that the world is not as bad as you think
Yes, the world can often seem cold and cruel, but it can often be warm and comforting, too—especially when you meet the right kind of people.
I know this sounds cheesy, but no matter how bad it seems, there is at least one good thing out of every situation that you can hold onto.
Whether that’s a new Netflix show that really fits your taste in TV or a person who understands all your frustrations, find that one thing you can hold onto.
This is because no matter how small these things might seem, if it’s good enough for you to feel comfort, it will really help you get a better outlook in life.
Know that not everyone is out to get you
Experiencing traumatic events, especially at a young age, can be very formative of who we become as people.
However, even if you’ve encountered the worst people in the past, it is important to know that not everyone is out to get you.
In life, it is inevitable to meet bad people, but there’s still good people out there who will often go out of their way to make you feel special; who will treat you with kindness and compassion, because it’s what you deserve.
Believe that good things can happen, too!
Yes, the world can be crappy and bad things keep happening, but remember: good things are out there, too!
This is precisely why you should open yourself to new experiences: if you don’t try new things, how will you ever find those that are good for you?
Right now, life might seem really bad and it might feel like you will never get out of rock bottom, but believe me: it does, eventually, get better.
Get professional help
Seeking professional help is not something that we should be ashamed of. In fact, we should be proud of ourselves when we do this, because it means we’re actively trying to be better people.
If you find yourself in a constant pit of self-pity and wallowing and can’t help your negative thoughts, it might be a symptom of depression. While motivational articles can often help, nothing really helps better than a professional and the proper medication.
I wish you luck on your journey to self-betterment!
