Sadly, you’re always going to encounter one. They walk down the streets, pick up their dry cleaning, and do everything you do, except they’re assholes. These grade-A people seem to make it their mission to be rude to people and make others feel incompetent. But i’m here to help you keep that chipper attitude intact and piss them off at the same time and as a plus you won’t even stoop to their level! Read on to discover the secret to dealing with rude people.

1. Kill ‘em with Kindness.

As my gal pal Selena would say, just be happy around them. Rude people are naturally unhappy in some way so being happy in front of them bothers them so much. And the best part is that you’re being a good person by doing this! I love doing this because being nice to them and showing them that they can’t get to you not only makes you the bigger person but makes them angry as hell. I am listening to “Kill Em With Kindness” by Selena Gomez as I write this article for some inspiration and this girl sure knows how to deal with mean people. So if you’re at work and the customer is being completely unreasonable and obnoxious just channel Selena, put on a big smile and say “I’ll keep that in mind next time. Thank you so much for making your future shopping experience a good one.” It also doesn’t hurt that you can be mentally cursing them out as you say this, what they don’t know won’t hurt them.

2. Smile.

Commonly when people are either rude or mean to another person all they’re looking for is a reaction, so what better way to throw it back in their way then to do the opposite of what they want. So when you’re working at Starbucks and someone calls you an incompetent imbecile all you have to do is smile and say “Thank you for your consideration.” I’ll admit I stole that remark from The Hunger games, I love me some JLaw. Smiling not only bothers the person being rude to you but the act also tricks your brain into thinking that it’s happy and as a result you will feel more at ease. Smiling not only shows off those beautiful pearly whites but it shows people that their words can’t hurt you and what they say and think don’t matter to you.

3. What They Think Doesn’t Matter.

I’ll admit I'm still in the stage of caring what people think but let me tell you that friends of mine who don’t care what others think or say to them are ten times happier than those who care. Why? Because they know that they can’t change how others view them or say to them but they can change the way they react and think about them in return. A healthy mindset is key to dealing with assholes because that is the only way punches will not be thrown. Not caring what rude people think of you is good because not only does it do wonders for your blood pressure but it makes you feel better when acting talking to them. When they call you stupid you won’t care because what they think doesn’t matter and you already know that you're awesome and that’s all that truly matters.

4. Be Super-Engaged.

When dealing with they many assholes out there remember to not act dismissive because not only does that fuel their assholery but it makes you look like you don’t care what they’re saying. While it’s okay to have that mindset you’re still a human being and still need to be nice to people. So when talking to these specimens remember to act as if what they’re saying is really important. Leaning forward and adding a lot of “Yeah’s” is not only a nice touch but will bug them to the highest degree. So you’re looking like a good employee at work when you do this and secretly making their blood boil. It’s a win-win!

5. Get Sassy.

As a last resort sometimes rude people just need a taste of their own medicine and you can dish that out with a clear conscience because they deserve it. The nice thing about being sassy is that you can look super nice saying doing it with a smile on your face and a calm tone of voice when in fact you’re ripping them a new one. When it comes down to it sometimes fighting fire with fire is good because rude people need to know how rude they really are and if they get a little burnt i think it’s worth the risk.

So on a happier note, when all else fails just play Taylor Swift’s song “Mean” on the speakers and look at them the entire song so there is no mistaking that the song was made for assholes just like you.

Kisses,

Jess