Spirit crushers are those people who try to zap your positive energy. Many times on the surface they seem to be friends or people who care. Everybody has felt the sting of a backhanded compliment. "Gee, Mary, you look great since you started working out. You spend so much time at the gym, I bet your husband is looking elsewhere." Comments like this may be said with a smile, but they can hurt. Spirit crushers usually have other issues going on. Perhaps they are jealous of you or feel inadequate with themselves. That doesn't matter so much, though, because the "why" is out of your control. What matters is how you react to situations involving an unsupportive person.

Start becoming aware of spirit crushers in your life and recognize the way you feel around these people. Then, make moves to surround yourself with a sincere support system