The first and foremost aspect about reforming your toxic habits is to realize that you might actually be making people feel unsafe and uncomfortable yourself.

That is a startling realization, but it happens more than we think in daily life. For instance, picture a coworker who doesn’t take criticism very well and you feel the need to walk on eggshells around them. Or consider someone who cannot regulate or manage their own emotions and appears to randomly burst into tears on a consistent basis. Or even someone who judges others and constantly calls them stupid behind their backs. How do you feel being around this kind of energy? It’s not a stretch to say that you’d simply start avoiding these folks.

At the root, people just need to feel like they can be themselves around you, and that they have nothing to fear and no reason to have their guards up. For instance, do people feel like they can be themselves next to a wild bear? No, they will be tense and uncomfortable because there is a sense of unpredictability and imminent danger. People feel like they can be themselves next to a fuzzy white bunny rabbit.

Show notes and/or episode transcripts are available at https://bit.ly/social-skills-shownotes

Visit the podcast on Captivate.fm at https://bit.ly/social-skills-home

Patrick King is an internationally bestselling author and social skills coach. Learn more or get a free mini-book on conversation tactics at https://bit.ly/pkconsulting

For narration information visit Russell Newton at https://bit.ly/VoW-home

For production information visit Newton Media Group LLC at https://bit.ly/newtonmg

Get the audiobook on Audible at https://bit.lyImprovePeopleSkills

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