Some people in life are draining. That’s a sad but true fact of life. You’re going to encounter people who are just a massive drain – it might be financially, physically or emotionally. Normally, the solution is obvious. You begin removing these people from your life. However, this isn’t as easy to do when the people in your life who are draining also happen to be family. It’s harder to detach from them in quite the same way. There is a few ways that you can live with people like this, and we’re going to be looking at them here to try and help you deal with negative family.

Can You Solve The Problems?

One of the first things that you can try and do when it comes to living with a problematic family member is to try and solve the problems. This will involve understanding what problems you face in the first place. You need to try and work out why you find that family member to be draining. What do they do that you don’t like? Are they always trying to borrow money? Do they complain about every little thing? If you know what the problems are, you might be able to work them out. Obviously, your family member isn’t going to take kindly to being told they’re doing something wrong. But sometimes you just need to sit down with them and talk these things out. Explain you aren’t happy and come prepared with some solutions to the problems. Make this a constructive talk as opposed to you just complaining, and you’ll be more likely to get somewhere.

Minimise Your Exposure To Them

If you can’t talk to them and solve your problems, then it’s sometimes best to minimise the amount of exposure you have to the family member in question. As people get older, the amount of contact they have with family members can decrease as people start to live their own lives. This can be of use to you, because you can immerse yourself in a life of people who aren’t a draining presence. Some people may consider this to be a harsh movement. And we understand that. But why should you spend time among people who are draining all of your positivity and happiness? Family are not perfect by any means, but you have to live a life which is going to make you happy. You don’t have to be obvious about the fact you’re trying to avoid contact, just gradually step back and let things play out.

Overall, a family member who is a draining presence can really impact upon you and your life. It’s easy to get caught up in a web of negativity and issues, and this is where people really start to suffer. You need to set these problems straight before they become massive issues, otherwise you’ll spend your life surrounded by people who drain your energy and positivity, and that’s not a good environment for success to flourish.