It’s not the best solution to avoid all confrontations, but there comes a time when you must learn how to ignore people in a polite way.
Believe it or not, you can ignore people in certain situations. It all depends on the topic of the situation, the severity of the problem, and how close you are to the other party. If you just don’t like them, you will have to ignore them somehow.
Yes, sometimes disagreements build and get worse if you don’t find a solution, but other times, keeping an argument going for long periods of time can be more damaging.
Sometimes you just must find an intelligent way to stay away from some people, especially the ones you just don’t like anymore.
How to ignore people politely
I cannot say that ignoring people can be completely nice or warm. It’s usually obvious to the other party they’re being avoided, so you must use the smartest way you know how to stay away. There are a few ways you can ignore someone without making a huge fuss.
1. Tips for social media
In the rare case that you’re friends with a person on social media who has made you upset, you can find a way to avoid them.
As far as social media goes, you can simply unfollow their posts. They aren’t usually aware that you’ve stopped following them, so this enables you to ignore someone in an intelligent way.
2. Less real-life interactions
Learning how to ignore someone in a nice way can be as simple as limiting how often you are face to face with that person. If you’re angry at them, it’s best to stay away as long as possible, or at least until things have cooled down.
This might be a difficult task to do, especially if you work together or attend the same school, but there are ways it can be accomplished.
3. Learn their schedules
Here’s a good way to limit seeing the person you wish to avoid. If you know where they will be, then you can make sure that’s exactly where you are not.
Being in opposite places helps you intelligently ignore someone without hurting their feelings or causing more problems.
4. Don’t elaborate in conversations
If you do find yourself in their company, you can still ignore the person you don’t like, well, in a way. When someone is mad at you, they sometimes try to instigate a fight. By keeping your answers short, you can avoid any such confrontations and in effect walk away with dignity.
You might not be completely ignoring them, but they usually get the hint pretty quickly.
5. Don’t make eye contact
If you see someone you don’t like, you will probably want to have as few interactions with them as possible. If you make eye contact with that person, they will take this as an invitation to talk.
Not making eye contact will put up an invisible barrier that they can understand. They will see that you wish to be left alone at the time. It’s not easy knowing how to ignore people, but if you don’t look at them, it’s done.
6. Use others to communicate
Let’s say you’re in a work or school group with someone you don’t want to talk to, and you have a project to do, now what? Well, to ignore someone in this case means sending messages through others.
You shouldn’t speak about them in negative ways so they can hear you. All it takes is telling one of the others in the group that the person you are avoiding needs to talk to them about the project. You’re just sending messages, and they don’t really need to know the reason.
7. Text messages or email
Another way to ignore people can be as easy as doing what you always do. You can send an email or a text message.
This mode of communication helps you avoid all sorts of confrontations. And if you do have a conflict via email or text, it’s too easy to walk away. Just stop typing.
8. Don’t be rude
If you choose to ignore someone, you shouldn’t be rude in the process. If you see them and cannot avoid them in any way, just be polite and keep a short salutation.
It’s not necessary to be rude or make faces at someone you’re who’s made you mad. It only makes you look immature and definitely unintelligent.
9. Just walk away
Sometimes people can’t get the hint. In this case, you may have to walk away from them.
You don’t have to say anything mean at all, just make an indication somehow that you don’t want to speak with them and remove yourself from their presence. Rudeness is never really needed.
Please use your emotional intelligence
If you want to know how to ignore people, just use these tips. Most of these suggestions prevent fights and other altercations.
If you never really liked someone, to begin with, it should be a bit easier to ignore them using these strategies. If it’s a former friend, it might be a bit harder.
I hope these tips help you do what’s best in your individual situation.
Be blessed.
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Thank you for these suggestions. They are very helpful, especially during these turbulent times.
You’re welcome, Daphne.
These sure are some ‘different’ times we’re in right now. It seems like we’re constantly trying to adapt.
Hi Mam. Thank you for your valuable tips. I have been using some of them already…Also some of your suggestions will really help me in future. I went through many of your articles which was so nice…Also other authors from Learning mind who were writing many articles related to anxiety, psychology, self development, etc…were really helpful for the readers like us.
We don’t like people that we don’t value…either them, or the things they do, so perhaps the first place to start is recognizing what we don’t like, and steer clear of that. If it’s something they do, then think of what circumstances prompt them to do it, but if you simply don’t value them as a human being, then steer clear of them altogether…to enjoy the things you like. But if you value everyone, but not everything everyone does, then you mustn’t stay away from them if you hope to help them and the people they effect. Perhaps you don’t like them because they remind you of your flaws, or they have something you want and cannot get yourself. There are plenty of reasons to not like someone, either what they do or who they are, but if there is any chance of making this world a better place for everyone, then avoiding the things we don’t like prevents us from helping everyone become more likeable, including ourselves….