Do you work, live, or interact with someone who seems determined to engage you in some kind of conflict? Do you find yourself getting hooked into their drama, and before you know it, you are in a no-win situation? How does this happen and why?
The reasons are many, but they usually have to do with someone wanting you to "fight" with them. You swear that you will never let yourself to get into that position again, and before you know it, there you are!
How can you respond to the hostile baiting that some people engage in? First, be aware that on some level, these people are attempting to get some need met. And secondly, remember you have a choice in how you respond. Consider the following suggestions:
Tips To Avoid Being Hooked By Someone Fishing For a Fight
- Recognize when you are being baited.
- Listen carefully to the words being used for bait.
- Don't bite.
- You can't get hooked if you keep your mouth closed.
- Recognize that biting the bait is a conscious choice.
- Bait is bait is bait, no matter how tiny or innocent it may seem.
- The fisherman may not even know that she/he is casting for a fight.
- The main differences between fishing from a dock or from a boat are whether or not she/he is on more "solid ground" and whether or not there is an "audience" watching the fishing expedition.
- If the fish aren't biting, the fisherman will quit fishing.
- If it looks like bait and smells like bait, it must be bait. Don't take the bait!
If you find yourself hooked - forgive yourself and the person who was fishing for the fight. If you find yourself baiting others, STOP, take them off the hook and let them go.
