There is a chance that if the title caught your eye you may not even know why, but it did indeed catch your eye. Have you ever been in a relationship, or in a work situation, heck even a relationship with family that you felt could certainly go a lot smoother. Do you have relationships in your life that you feel are more work than they are worth? Have you been feeling that it is one-sided, filled with guilt, full of blame, and find yourself always falling short of another’s expectations? If so you may have just found yourself in a Toxic Relationship.
Toxic relationships can present in many different fashions, I myself would define a toxic relationship as any relationship that may not be healthy for you in its present state. Toxic relationships can range from having minor toxicity present to so extremely toxic that persons involved may find that they have lost their entire self and sense of reality to pleasing and devoting time and energy to the other within the relationship.
How would you know what to look for if you think you may be in a situation that is not healthy? As a toxic relationship “graduate” and now a Toxic Relationship Awareness & Healing Specialist, I educate people on the character traits of the toxic person and how to recognize red flags in someone who is not healthy for your well being.
Perhaps asking yourself a few questions may help you identify the reason why you are always walking on eggshells waiting for the day that everything will calm down in your relationship.
Are you taking the blame for things that you know are not your fault yet you take it anyway?
Have you been told that your friends and family don’t really even like you? Or that they do not like or enjoy being around your family and friends?
Do you feel like there is always a level of tension when a particular person is around, and you feel relaxed and more yourself when they are gone?
Do you hear that you are too sensitive or that you are overreacting when you attempt to voice your own opinion about things within the relationship?
Do you feel that you can not do anything right and feel the target for repetitive criticisms that are lowering your self worth?
Have you been told that you need help or that your are crazy by someone who is close to you yet you feel like the truth is the opposite?
If you answered yes to more than a couple of these questions I would suggest you look into the “toxic relationship” at a more in depth level.
Toxic relationships overtime can steal away your joy, destroy your health and leave you questioning your sanity and your self.
Just because someone has some of the toxic traits does not mean they are a bad person and I would never tell you if they were. You need to decide if the relationship in its current state is a healthy one for you. Meaning, does your relationship make you happy, does the situation make you feel accepted and approved of? Do you feel respected and well treated? Can you be yourself and say what you feel without fear?
You are allowed to choose who, and at what level people get to be in your life. It is like you are interviewing for the positions that you have available. If they don’t fit the job description do not give them the job. You have permission to leave any relationship that is not healthy for you. Yes, even if it is a family member. Your story is yours to write and you get to choose the path that is healthy and happiest for you.