Even though easier said than done, the most effective strategy is to stay calm and centered as much as possible in any given situation. Overthinking and emotional reactions are harming you more than anything else. Of course, you can use your free will at any time to engage with whatever you want, but it's best done with rationality - and if you feel strong emotions building up inside yourself, keep them under control as good as possible!
Especially emotional (over)reactions have the potential to bring you into situations you never intended! It's also highly recommended to deal with the ancient teachings of stoicism. However, emotions are expressions of life and shouldn't be too much neglected either!
Another great strategy is humor.
I think it's not a coincidence that babies and toddlers laugh without needing a reason - they just do it, because laughter is one of the most natural expressions of life itself!
Knowing about your weaknesses
Life would be so easy - and even actually fulfilling for once - if all those strong emotions like pain, anger and fear wouldn't get in our way all the time!
It is important to examine your own psyche and find out what hurts you - often we are not really aware of what is causing our strong reactions towards something. Question those triggers and think logically about it in times when your mind is at peace!
Unfortunately, I made the mistake a couple of times to tell others about something I shouldn't have told them. However, most of that happened online anyway, so there are no real dangers (but nevertheless, I learned some important lessons). We still live in a cruel world that punishes genuine kindness and promotes the opposite! It's not too surprising - after all, the Bible already warned of the end times and all those perversions that come with it!
Gathering as much psychological knowledge as possible
If you really want to have a chance against the Lurker, dealing with human psychology - especially manipulation tactics - is inevitable. For me, it is very daunting at times to realize that the strategies regarding "Toys and tools" are extremely accurate!
The general strategy of the darkforces is to examine your weaknesses and send people to you who have exactly the capability to "pour salt in the wound!"
Those psychopaths know absolutely no scruples and can use anyone against you - be it a random encounter with a stranger (online or in real life), work colleagues, friends, relatives or even your romantic partner! When encountering those type of conflicts, logic and reason are completely irrelevant. What only counts for the darkforces is to harm you as much as possible! It is literally psycho terror!
Non-reaction
It's often better to ignore negative things that happen to us.
At this point, I want to share an excellent video regarding anger and letting go:
Conclusion:
We should ignore the little things that bother us - otherwise, it might lead to a catastrophe!
Non-reaction is a great method, because it counters the Lurker's actions without fighting!
Another scene from Harry Potter shows that letting go is important: