I’ve been navigating difficult people my whole life—family dynamics, co-parenting, workplaces where staying calm was the only way through. My clinical training as a therapist gave me language for what I’d already been learning, but the real skill came from practice: noticing that tight feeling in my chest when someone’s trying to pull me into their chaos, remembering that their behavior is about them, not me. Reacting only feeds the cycle and keeps you stuck in dysfunction you didn’t create. The most valuable thing I’ve learned is this: difficult people want a reaction because it gives them something to work with. Communicating neutrally isn’t cold or detached—it’s how you protect your energy and stay grounded. This skill has changed my life. It’s let me maintain necessary relationships without them costing me days of recovery and taught me the difference between engaging and getting hooked. I want other people to have that tool too.