Being in the wrong relationship can be very stressful, especially mentally. This is why it is important to detox from a negative relationship.
When we see the word relationship, the first image that comes to mind is the romantic relationship between two people. However, there are different types of relationships that shape our life path. Whether it is our relationship with our parents, friends, siblings or colleagues.
When these relationships are healthy, we become happier and more satisfied. The world is opening up to a place of endless possibilities for joy and love. Unfortunately, almost all of us have experienced someone becoming toxic at some point in our lives. Others of us have the dreadful trait of repeating toxic relationships over and over again, in an endless cycle of personal suffering. Escaping or escaping the cycle is essential, but undeniably difficult.
Identify the toxic element
A toxic relationship in your life manifests itself in the same way as an addiction. You feel the side effects of toxicity but struggle to pinpoint the source. The process of moving on from any addiction begins with recognizing that there is a problem. Therefore, identifying the toxic element in a relationship is crucial to accepting the issue.
Most psychologists consider strength to be at the heart of most toxic relationships. The use of force by one person over another is usually seen when one person belittles the other and ignores that person’s accomplishments or emotions to focus only on themselves.
This narcissism indicates that the other person in the relationship is subordinate and insignificant in comparison. Most individuals who find themselves at this end of a toxic relationship begin by accepting that they are less than the other person.
If you find yourself in a downward spiral of toxic relationships, it often has its roots in your first relationship with your parents, according to noted psychotherapist Susan Forward. Forward suggests that manipulative, unpredictable, and abusive parents prime a child’s brain to expect that they will eventually find themselves on the dependent end of all subsequent relationships.
Her views are supported by child psychoanalyst Isabel Koroletski, “The first attachment that was toxic, never dealt with, may lead to another.” She also noted that it is not surprising that abused people seem to seek out those who will continue the cycle of manipulation.
Want to learn more about how to detox from a negative relationship? Read how letting go of a toxic relationship can save your life
Effects of toxic relationships
Toxic relationships are very unhealthy for our body and mind.
Anne-Marie Filozat, a psychoanalyst who specializes in physical ailments caused by stress, points out that the connection between our relationships and our health is stronger than we think—“When we get caught up in a toxic situation, we can become anxious, test muscles. Stress, fatigue, loss of sleep and appetite. If we are listening to our bodies, we are receiving these messages or warnings.
For most people, this stress is exacerbated by the prospect of spending time with the person they find themselves in a toxic relationship with.
From the outside, other people are often able to identify feelings of stress and anxiety more easily than you can, because our first reaction is always to deny that a relationship that was once good has become toxic. However, staying in one of these relationships will continue to erode your confidence and drain your energy.
We deny that our relationships have become toxic for the same reason we seek relationships with people in the first place—the desire to belong.
“Two people get to know each other because they imagine that they will find what they are looking for in the other, and that this new person will satisfy their desires, their fears and the things they lack,” says Thierry Jansen, a specialist in the bond between. Mind and body.
Letting go of someone you thought would be the answer to your fear and desire can be excruciating.
detoxification
Detoxing a bad relationship is essential because your relationships are the cornerstone of your physical and mental health.
It is easy to leave certain relationships. With friends and short-term partners, the best way to handle the situation is to tell them exactly how you feel and how they’ve made you feel so closed off, before parting ways for good. These relationships can serve as a lesson to prevent you from following the same pattern again in the future.
Toxic relationships with siblings, parents, and cohabiting partners are hard to break. With letting family and long-term partners move on and move on, it often feels like you’re leaving a huge part of your life behind, despite the love you have for them.
Instead of immediately leaving these relationships behind, take the time to build your confidence, remind yourself that their behavior reflects who they are, not you, and finally, address the conversation face-to-face.
Identify examples when you have felt manipulated or belittled. Don’t allow them to make excuses, just tell them the behavior needs to stop because you love them and don’t want to face a life they’re not a part of. If they fail or refuse to change their behaviour, no matter how painful it may be, you will have to walk away. However, the time you spent building your self-esteem and confidence will make this difficult step easier.
Relationships in any capacity are never simple. The complexity of the human experience means that no matter how much love you have for the people in your life, there will be tough times. However, understanding the difference between a toxic relationship and one with just below the normal amount of stress is simple — the moment a relationship makes you feel bad about who you are, it’s become toxic.
The relationships you cherish in your life should carry you through when you’re down and nourish your belief in yourself. For your health, keep the people who do.
