How to deal with someone who invades your personal space?
Zetta Adams
2025-06-27 10:41:52
Count answers: 8
I treat the aisle like a roadway/sidewalk, keep myself and my cart in my "lane," go up one side and down the other, and stop for a normal amount of time to look at an item of interest. I've tried a couple times to just be direct and ask that they respect my space, but it always ends in them getting defensive and doubling down.
Shad Kertzmann
2025-06-27 10:18:16
Count answers: 10
When someone intrudes on your personal space, don’t act impulsively. Take a breath. Stay calm. Decide how you want to respond. Sometimes you’ll opt to address the issue directly. If so, it’s most effective to express your needs with an even, non-accusatory or angry tone. You can set limits by talking to your family and friends, and conveying your needs with kindness can lead to more loving relationships. Speak up with others, and when you have an ongoing interaction with someone, it’s useful to set kind, firm limits — then show appreciation when the offender adheres to them. Alternatively, you can practice the Zen approach and let it be, or view the personal space intruder’s insensitivity with compassion, remembering they’re usually not doing it to you personally. When someone intrudes on your personal space, stick to the high road and try to remedy the problem using these tips. Avoid toxic situations, and avoid or minimize contact with those who don’t respect your needs.
Brianne Becker
2025-06-27 09:46:03
Count answers: 9
You can be assertive and use your voice to manage this space if someone is making you uncomfortable by their proximity. This is not the same as being aggressive, it’s a strong clear statement that the person should maintain a safe distance. Controlling your resentment, just being direct and clear, this is also known as a soft challenge. You can also get up and move, avoiding confrontation aware that it’s easy for people to use any trigger as a catalyst to get angry. Have you observed people leaning away when others are too close, it’s an option and usually a habit that many people have. If you are in a public or work space and others are encroaching your personal space, some women feel more comfortable sitting next to another woman and the same with men. Just accept it, if it’s temporary that may be your preferred choice. You can recapture it, so sad but this is probably true of me, have you been in a cinema and someone is using the armrest, they scratch their nose and whammy, you’re in like Flynn, reclaiming that space.
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