One scientific study suggests taking the old adage that says – “Don't take gossip as important by responding to it” – as false advice. The way of dealing with gossip in the run-up to America's recent presidential election may lend support to this new view. The question is, if you can't ignore the rumors that are circulating, what should you do? Read Step 1 to find out how.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Respond with the Right Attitude
Step 1. Don't play dumb
Don't act like you don't understand what people are talking about you. If you keep quiet, people will think that these rumors are true. There's no point in pretending you haven't heard any gossip about you if everyone at your school or work already knows about it. Acknowledging that there are rumors circulating about you is the first step to dealing with it.
- If someone is gossiping with you, tell them, "I've heard there's a rumor going around" or "I know what people are talking about me."
- Better yet, challenge the person who created this gossip. If you know that bad gossip about you is spreading (quickly!), you can tell others who haven't heard of it. They may be more on your side if they hear the gossip directly from you, than if they hear it from the gossipers.
Step 2. Don't show that you really care
Don't make yourself appear angry, disappointed, or upset by this gossip. Even if this gossip is very malicious and hurtful, if you show disappointment in public, then you have already let the other side win. Finding close friends to chat with will greatly help you deal with your disappointment with them rather than letting everyone see you disappointed. Try to stay strong, respect yourself, and don't let this problem discourage you.
Also, if you look disappointed in this gossip, people will believe it to be true
Step 3. Don't fight fire with fire
You may feel provoked to deal with gossip by creating another, but you should take a more respectful approach and not get involved in trivial matters like gossiping. You can spread gossip about the person who started it, or create a new, different piece of gossip to keep people from talking about you, but this will probably make things worse and you'll end up looking like a desperate person and no better. rather than people starting to gossip about you.
Remember that your goal is to be on top. You want people to respect you and see you as someone of value. If you want people to respect you even after this bad gossip spreads, then you have to respect yourself, and don't think, "If you can't beat them, join them," because no way will make you better
Step 4. Talk to an older person or someone who can make decisions if you feel the need to
Of course, it won't be fun to discuss bad gossip with an older person or your boss, but it will bring trouble to the gossiper and make you feel better about dealing with the situation. For example, if the rumor spreads at school and you're sure who started it, talking about it with someone who can make decisions will scare the gossiper away from gossiping.
This method is a bit difficult. You are free to decide whether you need to talk to an older person or you can work it out on your own
Method 2 of 2: Take Action
Step 1. Defend yourself
Don't confuse defending yourself to defend your integrity and "attack." You can use a website like www.nomorelibel.wordpress.com to tell the truth. Look for a means that you can use to convey an explanation from your side. Since silence isn't always golden, it's a good idea to start by saying: "I can't believe this is happening." or "There seems to be some baseless (or malicious) gossip. Gossip like this can be very detrimental." Look into the eyes of the people you are talking to. Speak the truth to defend your interests.
If people ask you about this gossip, you should be able to defend yourself at all costs. If you ignore it or don't want to talk about it, people will assume that the rumors are true. You can use numberselibel.wordpress.com to tell the truth and restore people's trust in you
Step 2. Find out what things make people believe gossip about you and then do something to stop it
People usually like to gossip about things that get a lot of response, and look for evidence that people can believe. For example, gossip will arise at work if two people start flirting at the office, or if they eat lunch together every day. If you can pinpoint what is causing this gossip to develop, try to stop it if you can.
- Don't just think "They shouldn't think that" or "I should be able to do whatever I want regardless of whether people think this way or that." Because that's what they are, and as long as you don't care, gossip will continue to spread.
- Of course, if you're doing absolutely nothing to make the gossip hotter, you don't need to change anything. And if you do something that actually causes gossip, don't blame yourself if that's the case!
Step 3. Prove that this rumor is untrue if you can
If you can prove that these rumors are not true, you must disclose them. For example, if people tell you that you don't actually have a boyfriend, take your boyfriend to a party. If people gossip that you can't swim, throw a party at the pool. If you have documents that can prove that the rumors are completely untrue, you don't need to think again about restoring your self-esteem.
One of the many problems with gossip is how difficult it is to make a rebuttal. To counter this, don't give evidence sloppily if you can't get it
Step 4. Spread the word about you again
Reveal or write this gossip so that it is easy to see. By acknowledging gossip, you can take advantage of the opportunity. Gossip usually spreads like wildfire because people who like to spread gossip do this to seek social status, and it depends on whether they have information that other people don't know. If you have disclosed the information they are hiding, they will no longer want to spread this gossip. Everyone already knows!
If your situation is very painful, of course you don't want other people to know about it. But if you think it's easiest to prove that this gossip is ridiculous and that you can defuse it by telling everyone, then do it
Step 5. Meet the gossip maker in person
If you know who is spreading the gossip, you should talk to this person directly. Be polite and respectful of yourself and then ask why he's gossiping, explaining the difficulties you're having because of what he's doing while trying not to seem overly disappointed. You could say, "I know we're not really close friends, but spreading false rumors about me isn't the way to solve our problems."
If you don't want to meet him alone, bring some friends. Of course you should not put yourself in a dangerous or uncomfortable situation if you are unsure about the nature of this person
Step 6. Be careful
Gossip can make people disappointed, angry, or even depressed. No matter what other people say about you, have respect for yourself and be aware of who you are. Don't let other people determine your worth and stay strong, no matter what other people say about you. Make time to hang out with your close friends, get enough rest, and maintain your self-respect regardless of what people think of you.
You may be so busy worrying about ways to convince people that these rumors are not true that you don't have time to take care of yourself. You have to focus on yourself – not on the meaningless disappointment of others' actions – if you want to get back to a healthy and happy life
Tips
- Remain calm in any situation. People like to pay attention to your reactions. You'll make the gossip go away if you stay calm, and this attitude will help you if you have to deal with the same problem in the future.
- Try to act like you're not bothered and if you act like this then this is what happens. Respect yourself.
- Ignore the voices that come from people commenting about you. Just let it go and this gossip will eventually disappear.
- Have a good friend you can talk to, make plans to make sure that this gossip isn't really about you.
- Tell the truth to the affected people who believe the gossip about you and tell them what's really going on.
- If you yourself are the cause of gossip, don't deny it. Instead of trying to respond to what other people think of you, admit that you did something wrong.
- Remember that it is natural to express emotions. You can cry, express anger, or any feeling from your heart.
Warning
- Don't waste time trying to find out who started or spread gossip as this will be pointless and useless.
- Do not like to spread rumors because this method will turn on you and cause other gossip.
- If you share your problems with an older person, you will come across as a person who can't take care of themselves (Like a teenage girl who cries every day and looks ridiculous).
