Hi Coach Vernida,

You are totally right. It’s almost like the “kill them with kindness” mentality. Your response comes in at a perfect time. I realize that no action is worth doing if it poisons each other’s peace of mind. I tried a similar type of response as you recommended yesterday with my colleague. When I could tell the conversation was veering back to negativity, I listened patiently but did my best not to validate or encourage any further negativity while keeping a smile on my face. The conversation naturally dwindled because of it. I realize before I thought I was being empathetic to my colleagues and they were taking advantage of that which was what drained me. I can still be empathetic by giving space to listen, but I don’t have to invest, nor jump on board in feeling the negative feelings that they are projecting.