People who put you down passive aggressively to make themselves feel better

[Thegirlinthefireplace]

I'm feeling a bit blue and have had a bit of a day of it.

There's someone I work with, just on Thursdays, that always does this and then I had it again from a parent of my sons friend when she collected her son.

I usually laugh or shrug it off but because I'm feeling quite low I've let it get to me today.

I think in the case of the work colleague it's that we're both quite junior but she started a few months before me so perhaps feels the need to assert her tiny bit of seniority she feels she has.

How do others people deal with people like this? I don't want to get sucked into a pissing contest

Because you've noticed it twice today could it be that you're feeling a bit down. When we're feeling down we can almost be on the lookout for reasons to be aggrieved. When I'm feeling good someone would have to scream in my face before I'd pick up on it

I also have a colleague who does this and have had threads about her. Never known anyone like it, has the ability to make the nastiest sniping retort to the most innocuous of comments and is a professional martyr

Solidarity OP

YANBU to be offended, or feel upset. However if you do, they've succeeded. Just ignore the comments as best you can and understand that they are putting you down because they feel shit about themselves, or your presence makes them feel insecure. It's their beef, not yours.

If you can give examples, I'm sure MM will give you some fab responses, or coping strategies.

My suggestion would be to step away from these people. The less negativity you have around you generally, the better x

You're right head in hands regarding the parent, might be total paranoia.

The colleague it's being going on for ages so spans all moods of mine (if that makes sense ). I think her nose got put out of joint about a project I was given instead of her back when we were both fairly new. She said at the time she wouldn't have wanted it anyway but then when she was offered something similar a couple of months later she did take it.

I do like to analyse stuff though, probably too much.