Toxic relationships: warning signs and a way out
Toxic relationships in psychology are relationships that create psychological discomfort. They are emotionally and physically damaging to one or both of the partners. Often, the partner experiencing psychological pressure simply does not realize that it is the relationships that poison their life.
Here are 7 signs indicating that your partner is being parasitizing burden draining all your strength and energy:
You have no energy
No part-time evening job, no extra effort at work, and still not enough energy to get anything done. Even small things such as doing the dishes or tidying up the house. A toxic partner drains your internal resources, and replaces them with negativity. Those negative emotions not only cause stress, but also leave a mark on your soul.
Your accomplishments don't mean anything
You've been promoted, or your business is booming, and all you get is a mocking comment, a tight smile. And this is the best case scenario. Sometimes your partner does not react at all to your success. This is natural, because a toxic partner cannot accept the achievements of their significant other.
You give up everything that brings you joy
Favorite hobbies, gatherings with friends – all this is in the past. In other scenarios, it makes sense to accept your partner's behavior, since they may be trying to protect you from bad habits (drinking, smoking, etc.). But how to justify the fact that you gave up favorite hobby that makes you happy?
Relationships with relatives gotten worse
Your partner forbids you to be in touch with your family and friends, because they do not like them. Or, on the contrary, the family members are not happy with your companion. In any case, you end up the losing party.
They are nitpicking all the time noticing only your shortcomings
Your partner is unhappy with the way you look and the way you behave. They constantly reproach and accuse you of something you have done or did not do. And now you think that you are completely made up of flaws. Self-esteem begins to be at an all-time low. Maybe that's what they were counting on.
You envy other couples
You see happy, smiling couples on the street and you regret that you do not have that. And when friends talk about how they spend time with their significant other, you quietly envy them.
You don't make plans for the future together
When people are together and they value relationships, they begin to think about future plans: what to buy, where to go on vacation, and so on. This means that people are connected by something more than sex. And this relationship has a perspective. In a toxic relationship, people don't plan anything and live in the moment only.
What should you do to get out of one messy relationship?
- Recognize and accept the fact that your relationship is toxic and you are unhappy in it.
- Don't blame yourself for what happened. This will only aggravate your physical and emotional state.
- Start getting back to life: return to hobbies, sports, and meditations.
- Find support from your family and friends.
- Seek help from a psychologist. It will not be easy to deal with the consequences of a toxic relationship on your own.
In 1869, during an experiment, scientists placed a frog in cold water, and then gradually heated it. The frog adapted to the conditions and did not jump out of the water, even when it became deadly for it. This example can also be applied to people being in toxic relationships. They spend all their energy to adapt to their partner. And as a result, they do not have the energy to recognize the danger and end this relationship.
Of course, this kind of relationships triggers a response from our body. One may begin to experience signs and symptoms of different diseases. It all starts with low self-esteem, depression, fatigue. In the future, this develops into serious psychosomatic diseases: stomach ulcers or bronchial asthma. If the couple has children, then the relationship of the parents in the future will affect the behavior of the child in his adult relationships.
