TL;DR Insulting others is never a good way to make yourself feel better. On top of that, everyone knows that insults hurled at anyone can be scarring. Learning the art of handling insults can prevent you from overreacting in the spur of the moment. 

No one is perfect, which is why there is no good excuse to insult anybody. It may be words, but it can profoundly affect how someone looks at themselves; it can affect their self-esteem and confidence. It may be okay if you are joking with your friends, but in today’s society, we really don’t know the extent of the insults we make to someone until it is too late.

Being frank or expressing yourself is good at some point, but putting somebody down by insulting them is a different story. Words can scar people and may change their behavior; they can also affect their well-being. A word of advice: instead of putting others down with your comments, use them to lift them up; you’ll never know what impact you will make in their lives.

And if you are the one who was insulted, there are better ways to handle insults towards you gracefully.

Don’t React

One of the best ways to handle insults is by not reacting. Not giving the person who insulted you any reaction at all will make them a fool out of themselves, especially when the insults are not warranted at all. Insults usually die down, and people eventually stop when you ignore them. It also shows your class and your character by not stooping down to a derogatory war of words.

This will not only make you a class act but also gain the respect of others by being the bigger man and letting things pass by. But don’t be gentle all the time, especially when that person is always insulting you. There will always be a time for everything, but as much as possible, always control your emotions and reactions towards insults.

Use Humor

Laughter is not just the best medicine; it is also the best defense against insults. Using humor to laugh off the insults thrown at you is one of the best ways to handle them. But be careful when using laughter; make sure not to put yourself down to make people laugh. Remember, the point of using humor is to defend yourself from insults, not to make you look bad, and add salt to the wound.

Using humor will not only lighten up the mood but also lessen the rudeness of the one who insulted you. You can control the conversation and keep it from getting tense. People who see how you handle negative situations gracefully will respect and admire you.

Talk to the Person 

Not everybody knows why people insult them, so if you have the chance to talk to the person who is insulting you, do it. This will make it clear why that person is throwing negative words at you. You might have done something wrong to him in the past or had some other problems with him, but nonetheless, you can resolve it by talking to them. It also shows your character in these kinds of situations.

You don’t need to be aggressive when confronting the person; you need to be calm and collected while talking to them; this sets the tempo of the conversation. Try to ask them directly why they are insulting you. After the conversation, I’m sure that you will have peace of mind and probably have a new friend.

Be Positive and Don’t be Emotional at the Moment

Gracefully handling an insult is not easy. When we are insulted and get offended, the first thing that comes to mind is insulting the person back with the same intensity. But that doesn’t solve anything, especially when you have nothing to gain from the person who insulted you. Being positive about how you handle the situation will benefit you; your mood says a lot about how you feel about the insult. When they see you smiling and continuing to do your own thing, this shows them that you are not bothered at all by the insults.

There is no need to be emotional about the insults, even when they are true; you need to calm yourself and either shrugs them off or respond gracefully. By doing this, you can diffuse the situation, as they can see that you are not bothered at all, which shows how comfortable you are in your own skin. This shows high self-esteem and good self-control by not insulting back.

It takes a lot of practice to manage how we react to insults. It is not easy, especially when we are a little bit emotional. Slowly accepting your flaws and being true to yourself can make you more comfortable in your own skin. And when you are comfortable with yourself, you are not easily affected by insults from others. People may throw words at you, but as long as you are confident in who you are, no words can stumble you on your way.

Visit our website for more articles from Dr. Krysti (Lan Chi) Vo, MD. She is a psychiatrist, speaker, and advisor that helps us cope with different events in our life. She will also help you become a better version of yourself.