1. They Put You Down
Toxic people have a desire to make others feel exactly how they feel. Unhappy and miserable, just to name a few. Whether intentional or not, they will put you down through harmful comments, constant sarcasm, belittling statements and through passive-aggressive behavior. They may claim that they are joking around or that you are too sensitive but your gut instinctively knows different. Negative words can wreak havoc on your self-esteem. This can heighten your anxiety as your stress levels increase. You must find ways to tune out their noise even if that means cutting them out of your life. They are not worth your energy.
2. They Manipulate You
Manipulation is power for the toxic person and their need for control. They have a way of twisting your words. They make you feel guilty if you don’t do what they ask or if you don’t agree with their point of view. Feelings of guilt are common for an anxious person and a toxic person seeks to maintain the balance of power by convincing you that you are wrong. That you should feel guilty. It is not your responsibility to bear the burden of someone else’s problem. Don’t allow a manipulative person to intensify negative feelings. You are not powerless.
3. They Drain your energy
Whether you are in a toxic relationship, a toxic job or a bad environment, the negativity will drain your energy to the point of exhaustion. This can impact your health and emotional well-being further fueling your anxiety. No matter what you do, no matter how appealing you become in your relationship, your partner is unlikely to change. If you try to keep your head down and just get on with your job, it is unlikely that the toxic work environment is going to change. The only change that will happen is you. You will become someone who you don’t even recognize anymore. Trust your intuition and jump ship. You will do yourself a favor rather than stay, drowning in toxicity.
4. They bring out the “mean” you
Negativity breeds negativity. Toxic people are skillful in bringing out the worst in you. If you are spending a lot of time with toxic people that want to create drama then it is only going to rub off on you. As humans, we are social beings that emulate the behaviors of others. To avoid making your anxiety worse, limit the time you spend with a toxic “friend” or family member. Spend time with positive people that want to see you happy and you will feel the difference in your mental and emotional well-being.
5. They want to see you lose
Anxiety manifests itself into self-doubt. You constantly question yourself and what you are capable of doing. A toxic person feeds off those feelings of you not thinking that you are good enough. That you deserve more. As your anxiety begins to calm and you start to recognize your self-worth a toxic person will not applaud you for this. They are not cheering you on. They are more satisfied when you feel lost and confused. When you needed reassurance from them. They hate to see you surpass them in life because in their minds this means you have won and they have lost.
It is never an easy process to remove toxic people from your life but for your own mental well-being, it is an absolute necessity. Try to create some distance between you and the toxic individual. You will create a happier life for yourself.
By Michelle Marshall for ThoughtCatalog