It’s important to surround yourself with positive and supportive people. But unfortunately, this is not always the case.

Some people don’t have any positive impact on our lives. But how do you recognize behavior that is harmful to you?

You’re about to find out.

1) Constant negativity
When someone constantly focuses on the negative aspects of situations, it quickly begins to drain your energy and affects your outlook on life.

From my own experience, it is very difficult to maintain a positive mindset when you are surrounded by pessimism and negative people.

You start having the same view of things and believe nothing and no one can change things for the better.

Look for people who are uplifting and believe that things can get better through hard work, lifelong learning, and support.

2) Lack of support
Speaking of support, when an important person in your life doesn’t support you and thinks what you’re trying to achieve is useless and stupid, you’ll feel frustrated and discouraged.

Positive relationships involve mutual encouragement and a desire to help each other grow.

For example, you want to start a new business and you have written a business plan and conducted market research.

However, a good friend or family member is trying to discourage you from starting this project because your actions highlighted their inaction and complacency.

In this case, you are dealing not only with a lack of support but with active frustration, which makes it even more difficult.

3) Peer pressure
On the other hand, we have people who encourage you to engage in negative or harmful behaviors that are against your health.

They put pressure on you by taking drugs, skipping classes, driving recklessly, making fun of others, etc.

You might think that this kind of behavior stops around high school or college at the latest, but if you’ve ever watched movies like The Wolf of Wallstreet, you know that’s not true.

Resisting peer pressure is in many ways more difficult in adulthood in a well-paid workplace that comes with many benefits. Saying “no” to your boss often means that you will get fired from your job.

4) Behavior control
Some people can’t help themselves and want to control everyone around them. It goes as far as micromanaging your actions and, in the case of some men, constant humiliation.

Any attempts to control your decisions and actions limit your freedom and personal growth. Healthy relationships have individual autonomy and privilege at their heart.

So, if your friend, partner, family member, or coworker is incredibly controlling, they won’t have a positive influence.

On the contrary, they do not allow you to think for yourself and develop.

5) It drains your energy endlessly
Constant negativity, controlling behavior, and other types of behavior that we still have to cover all drain your energy.

If someone constantly leaves you feeling emotionally exhausted or drained, it means your relationship has an unhealthy dynamic. Positive relationships should lift you up and energize you.

However, some people are like emotional vampires who suck your energy until there is nothing left.

But it gets worse.

6) Sabotage
If someone tries to undermine your efforts or goals, they are clearly not contributing positively to your life.

I already mentioned an example of when someone actively discourages you. But they may regularly criticize your ideas, downplay your accomplishments, or actively work to devalue your efforts.

For example, they may always doubt your skills and abilities, causing you to question your own abilities or even withholding important information or resources that could help you succeed in a particular situation.

In the workplace, someone may take credit for your ideas, innovations, or creative works, undermining your intellectual property and potential success.

If you don’t stand up for yourself, they may succeed.

7) Tripping with guilt
Feeling guilty is an almost daily occurrence for some people. They manipulate your emotions through guilt and create a toxic cycle.

You feel forced to make decisions based on guilt rather than your well-being, which causes resentment over time.

Many mothers are guilty of this. We’ve seen them do this on popular TV shows like Everybody Loves Raymond. But I can attest to this from my own experience as well.

The problem for people who like to blame others for doing things their way is that they get a taste of it when they first do it.

Then, they start doing it all the time because they realize it’s a powerful tactic to get others to do what they want.

8) Manipulation
Feeling guilty towards others is a form of manipulation. Manipulative people try to control your actions, emotions, or decisions for their own benefit. Their negative behavior erodes your independence and leads to feelings of confusion and mistrust.

Above all, their behavior has a harmful effect on your life.

Manipulation includes the silent treatment, love bombing, gaslighting, triangulation, threats or ultimatums, emotional manipulation, and more.

9) Breach of trust
Constant dishonesty creates a lack of trust and transparency in any relationship. Building a healthy relationship is difficult when you can’t count on the other person to be honest.

If someone is dishonest or even hides vital information that you need to make an informed decision, they will have a negative impact on your life.

For example, instead of truly apologizing for their mistakes, they make insincere apologies to avoid taking responsibility for their actions.

Or they invent elaborate stories or scenarios to manipulate your emotions or gain sympathy.

In most cases, you will have to confront them about it and even cut ties if they continue to do so.

10) Jealousy
Jealousy breeds negativity and resentment. Some people show their jealousy and envy by belittling your accomplishments or refusing to acknowledge your successes, among other things.

They may always try to outdo you or turn everything into a competition and try to improve on your experiences or achievements to make you feel superior.

This is not normal behavior. True positive influence celebrates your successes and encourages your happiness rather than feeling envious.

11) Constant drama
People who thrive on drama create unnecessary stress and chaos in your life. When you have to deal with this type of person, you distract yourself from your goals and well-being.

They thrive on provoking arguments, disagreements, or conflicts, even over minor issues. Some people like to blow things out of proportion, turning small events into big crises.
They constantly portray themselves as victims in situations, even when their actions are the root cause of the problem.

Overall, their behavior is not going to improve any time soon. It is best to distance yourself when it begins to seriously affect your life and daily activities.

12) Toxic criticism
While constructive criticism can help you improve, toxic criticism destroys you without providing any useful solutions. It often leads to low self-esteem and confidence.

When everything you do isn’t right for them, you know you’re not the problem. The problem is their corrupt and controlling behavior and mentality.

Obviously, they need to micromanage your actions and they can’t help themselves but criticize you when you do something that is not right in their minds.

13) Lack of respect
When someone is disrespectful towards you, it indicates a lack of consideration for your feelings and boundaries. Respect is non-negotiable and is an essential component of any healthy relationship.

However, we often see signs of disrespect in our daily lives and our relationships with friends, family, coworkers, and even our romantic partners.

Earning respect involves a combination of self-confidence, assertiveness, clear communication, and treating others with respect.

But when nothing else helps, personally, I’m not above cutting ties with someone beyond repair.

14) Self-centeredness
Selfishness and selfishness are as common as apple pie. In a world where so many people live for social media and do their best to portray themselves positively, this is very to be expected.

But the problem for you is that the selfish person ignores your needs and prioritizes his own interests. When you ask or tell them something, it simply goes in one ear and out the other.

I’m not saying it should be their top priority, far from it. But a balanced relationship requires mutual consideration.

15) Lack of empathy
Empathy is the ability to understand and share another person’s feelings. Without empathy, we cannot connect on a deep, meaningful level.

So when someone shows a lack of empathy towards you and your experiences, they also cannot be supportive and have a positive impact on your life.

finalthoughts

Now that you have time to think about other people’s behaviors, do you think they affect you positively?