There are lots of difficult, mean, and self-centered people out there. Maybe you have one (or several) in your family, in your neighborhood, at work, or in your church.

What’s the best way to deal with them? Follow these tips:

1. Don’t try to make rational sense out of their behavior. Rational sense can only be found in rational situations, and crappy people are not rational.

2. Minimize contact. You may not be able to eliminate contact altogether if you have to go to family gatherings or business meetings. But avoid what you can.

3. Keep your cool. You cannot fight every battle.

4. Stop personalizing. If someone behaves the same way towards everyone else as they do towards you, then don’t take it so personally.

5. Don’t confront them. People generally don’t hit their foreheads and say, “Oh, my gosh! You’re so right! I can’t believe I was being so crappy!” That’s very rare. If you do confront someone, do it to tell them off and disconnect, not to work anything out.

6. Separate the person from the situation. Sometimes, it’s not that the other person is crappy but rather a situation, bad piece of information, or philosophical difference is causing the problem.

7. Use humor. Crappy people hate when you use humor because it shows that you’re not upset.

8. Toughen up. Bullies are cowards and don’t like strength. Weakness, passiveness, and compliance makes you a target. Stand your ground.