For those of us who want to grow and develop ourselves, toxic people may be something that we have to deal with. Also, as we become more connected with ourselves, we may realize that some people in our lives, even the ones we love and care about, are toxic. Learning to deal with toxic people is essential if we want to maximize the quality of our life.
However, before we learn how to deal with toxic people, we must first define what a toxic person really is. A toxic person is someone who negatively interferes with our happiness, mindset, mental health, or productivity. For example, they might unnecessarily criticize us when we are trying something new, or constantly imply to us that our thoughts and opinions are silly and invalid. Toxic people are usually not bad people, but are at a stage in their lives where they cannot positively impact the lives of other people. Their presence might make it difficult for us to embrace who we truly are.
It’s a good idea to be brutally honest with yourself when deciding if someone is toxic. Some people that criticize us could actually be making a good point, and we can use their commentary to improve ourselves.
Many people say that you should not listen to other peoples’ negativity, and quote clique phrases like, “if you don’t have anything nice to say, than don’t say anything at all.” However, I believe phrases like these can limit free thought and expression. If we don’t like certain aspects of other people, we cannot be too quick to label them as “toxic” and ignore them. We must really evaluate why we have a problem with them, because it might be because of our own insecurities, and issues that we need to work through.
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When you truly know that you have toxic people in your life, you must learn to be secure in who you are, and what you are doing in your life. If you are secure, their negative opinions and comments will not affect you as much.
Also, when dealing with toxic people, it is crucial that you learn to stand up for yourself.
For example, it someone tells you that you are not very good at something, you could reply by saying that although they are right, you are doing your best and improving yourself. Comments like these will show toxic people that their negative commentary is unneeded.
Eventually, I believe that it is best to gradually remove toxic people from our lives as much as we can. This could mean breaking apart friendships or even family relationships. Although this sounds selfish, we should not have to unnecessarily suffer because of other people. It is not up to us to solve other peoples’ issues. In order for us to grow to our full potential, it is crucial that we take good care of ourselves, which involves getting rid of negative influences.