Anyone who has ever been in a toxic relationship would agree that it negatively affects an individual in many ways, especially as it relates to subsequent interpersonal relationships - in this case, romantic relationships. In recent years, most people have wrongly defined a toxic relationship. This sometimes is because they don't realize they are in one, or they want to justify themselves or how they were treated by someone to mask their pain. It's just safe to say that they do not know what a toxic relationship is.
The effects of being in a toxic relationship are mostly long-term and they can be life-altering. Being in a toxic relationship for so long can completely make a person shut his/her heart to receiving any form of love from people or even family members. Therefore, it is important to emphasize the significance of getting out of toxic relationships as soon as possible.
What is a toxic relationship?
A toxic relationship is a relationship with anyone or anything that makes you feel abandoned, misunderstood, devalued, or assaulted. On a fundamental level, any connection that makes you feel worse rather than better over time is not good for you and is toxic.
Toxic relationships do not only occur in romantic relationships, but it cuts across every sphere. You could be in a toxic relationship with your friend or friends, you can have a toxic relationship with your work or your boss, and it could even be among close or distant family members. Hence, it is important to be able to Identify toxic relationships in your life.
What are the signs of a toxic relationship?
Some of the signs of a toxic relationship include:
- You give more than you receive in the relationship and it leaves you feeling undervalued, disrespected, and exhausted.
- You will rather be in another person`s company than be around the person or be in another space than be in that particular space.
- You are constantly anxious around the person or people.
- You constantly feel mistreated or as though your emotional needs are unmet.
- Fear of being confronted by the person or fear in general.
- Over time, your self-esteem takes a hit.
- You are constantly feeling alone, misunderstood, degraded, or assaulted.
- After conversing or being with the other person, you feel unhappy, irritated, or fatigued.
- You accentuate each other's flaws. Your competitive friend, for example, brings out a spiteful competitive side in you that you don't enjoy.
- When you're around that individual, you're not your best self. They may, for example, bring out your gossipy side or appear to bring out a nasty streak you don't ordinarily have.
- You feel like you have to tread carefully around this person to avoid being a victim of their poison.
How do toxic relationships affect future relationships?
Past toxic relationships can affect future relationships in so many ways. Some of which are:
- Mistrust: Any sort of deception in a previous relationship, like infidelity, might make trusting in a new relationship more challenging. Being lied to in the past, especially if it was unexpected, makes it more difficult to trust anyone in the future.
- Fear: Being treated badly in a past relationship or abandoned by a previous love can spring up fear in a person and might make it extremely difficult to start a new relationship or be in another relationship without keeping that in mind. It makes you constantly anxious and insecure because you consistently feel as though you'll be abandoned again.
- Invulnerability: If you have been in a relationship where your vulnerability was used against you to hurt you. It becomes very difficult for you to be vulnerable or share your deep secrets or problems with anyone.
- Self-sufficiency: It becomes difficult to depend on anyone if you have previously been hurt or made to rely on your own strength in the past. You get so used to doing things yourself and for yourself and it becomes difficult to receive help from people no matter how insignificant.
**What is the way forward? **
- Letting go of the past hurt or deceit in a toxic relationship can be extremely difficult but it is not impossible. It takes deliberate and conscious effort to do this. Below are ways to move forward and prevent your past relationship from affecting your future relationships:
- Be willing to let go of your past hurt: Realizing that letting go is required and feeling ready to do so is the first step. This might come at different times for different people, but once a decision is made, it can be quite liberating.
- Don't try to bury the emotions you feel, acknowledge them: Memories of past experiences might elicit powerful or complicated emotions. Allowing oneself to feel such sensations without attempting to resist or cure them is a crucial step in understanding what happened.
- Let go of the emotions gradually: This can be challenging, so expressing your thoughts in a safe place, through journaling, or discussing with a trusted friend, or with a therapist, helps one heal and let go completely.
Posted from HypeTurf