Anyone will find it unpleasant to hear unflattering words addressed to them. A person can convince themselves that they need to abstract themselves and perceive everything more easily.
But he won't be able to detach himself from everything. If he is deliberately picked on, if he is insulted, he will react to this, emotions will appear in him. He will also want to respond with something, which is something you shouldn't deny yourself.
But the latter must be done with dignity. There are several ways to respond to offensive speech.
To insult
But there are some subtleties here. The counter-insult should be witty, and should only take place when the action takes place in a circle of close friends.
It should also defuse the situation, not escalate it further. In any other case, it is better not to resort to such a reaction.
To make a joke
In this case, you need to ridicule the situation itself, not the insult, as is appropriate in a situation with a witty response. In this case, the insult will lose its significance, the communication will cease to be toxic.
The audience is more likely to side with the joker, which keeps him safe.
Keep calm
If unflattering words come from a stranger, you shouldn't listen to them. You don't need to show that the words hurt, that they touched you. It would be better to remain silent, to show indifference, to answer something indifferent.
You can even smile back to completely throw the bully off. He didn't expect such a reaction, he certainly didn't count on it, so he'll probably stop bullying.
Respond to Intent
When an insult sounds, there is a desire to respond to the words that were said, to cling to them. But you shouldn't do that. It's better to say that the interlocutor probably wants to discuss something, that something serious happened.
Such an answer will throw him off track, discourage him. This way you can find out the reasons for the insults, understand what made him say unflattering words.
Such responses to insults are win-win. They will surely defuse the situation and make the atmosphere healthier.
