4 Simple Ways to Filter Out Annoying People

We all know the type of person who rubs us up the wrong way: too talkative, too broody, too negative, too boring, too creepy, too arrogant - the list goes on. Some of us have to deal with individuals like this regularly, but we learn to take it in stride because after all, we're decent
people.

But what about those annoying individuals we can't avoid? Neighbors, work colleagues and family. Who says we have to spend our energy avoiding someone when it's them who has the problem? Here are a few simple ways to filter out annoying people. 

1. Screen your phone calls. You may think it rude to not answer a phone call but there's no law that will harm you. So when you see that number pop up on the screen, simply hit the volume-down button to mute the phone and let the call go to voicemail. It's not like you're even hanging up on her, you're simply unreachable at that moment. Besides, if it's really important, she'll leave a voicemail or text you.

2. Eat more garlic. Besides being good for your health, garlic has incredible anti-social properties that will keep even the vilest offender at bay. Sure, you have to live with your own powerful breath, but the satisfaction of seeing that annoying colleague, who has no idea of personal space boundaries, recoil in horror as you breathe on him.

3. Return phone calls and voice mails with a text message. This is particularly helpful with friends and family who feel they have to tell you their latest harebrained scheme or describe what they had for lunch, or how much they hate the neighbor's dog. These people have an uncanny ability to call when you're in a meeting, or when you just sat down to dinner. Let the call go to voicemail and then send a text message to say you're a little busy. More than likely when later comes around, they will have forgotten what they were calling you about in the first place. Or they ended up sharing the highlights of their mediocre lunch with some other sucker.

4. Use a social networking group to share the burden with others. Let's say your particular friend keeps asking you desperately for help with a situation that you know he can fix himself. You've explained how to do it enough times, but the bottom line is that he's lazy and he really wants you to do it for him. Talk to a couple of mutual friends, and create a WhatsApp group including them and the annoying individual, telling him that you're doing it to help.