How to deal with toxic people
In this concise advice video, Shanli Liu, CPA, CTP, outlines three actionable techniques for handling interactions with toxic individuals. First, she recommends delaying your response to their provocations—waiting hours or days before replying to emails, calls, or texts—to reduce their sense of control over your emotions. Second, she advises adopting the neutral phrase "I'm not sure" when faced with gossip or requests for opinion, thereby limiting the toxic person's ability to manipulate you. Third, she suggests asking foundational, clarifying questions (e.g., "When did this happen? What happened again? Why would somebody do that?") to shift the focus from emotional reactions to factual understanding, which diminishes the toxic person's leverage. The overall message emphasizes creating distance, maintaining neutrality, and redirecting conversations to regain personal agency.
