6 Types Of Toxic Relationships You Must Avoid
If the person you love keeps making you feel guilty, and is not able to respect you, it is essential that you take your distance.
Surely you’ve heard of toxic relationships before. It is also likely that you have experienced several in your life, and that you are aware of the emotional cost, as well as the mental wear and tear that these relationships cause.
Toxic people are those who care more about their needs than those of others.
However, there is always something strange going on in a toxic relationship. We all know they exist, and we need to be careful about them, but we have a hard time identifying them.
The reason is that they provoke contrasting feelings in us. Love and tenderness can blind us and prevent us from seeing the reality of things.
In this article, we’re going to tell you about 6 types of toxic relationships that you absolutely need to know how to identify to avoid them. It will also allow you to establish barriers and protect yourself.
We’re not just going to talk about couple relationships. In fact, toxic people can also be a part of your circle of friends, or your family.
1. Relationships in which one person controls everything
On some occasions, it is easier to let go, to allow the other to make all the important decisions, and to take charge of all the tasks.
In this way, we believe that these people take better care of us. But we have to be very careful, because if we let ourselves be carried away too much, we will end up not being able to decide for ourselves.
Never allow this in your relationships, romantic or friends. There must always be a balance between the two opposing forces.
From the moment one of the two people in the relationship takes precedence over the other, a problem arises and will tarnish the relationship.
2. People who put their own needs first
“I prefer to do that, that’s what I like to do, what I need, I want you to do it too, etc.”.
People who are used to saying sentences that start with the word “I” have a strong tendency to have dangerous personalities, which often results in toxic relationships.
All those who are unable to see beyond their own world cannot bring genuine happiness to the other. They are unable to respect anyone.
3. People who don’t trust
The one who does not trust, who does not understand others, and who is not emotionally open, is not able to show respect, understanding and empathy towards others.
Relationships that are based on mistrust always experience drifts of jealousy, which engender misunderstandings and perpetual arguments .
These tensions usually lower our self-esteem. It is therefore not worth the trouble to embark on this type of relationship.
4. Relationships based on emotional blackmail
“After everything I’ve done for you, are you refusing to do me this favor?”, “If you really loved me, you would never do that to me!”.
If you’ve heard these phrases regularly in your relationship, you know they can hurt a lot when they come from someone you love. However, you must not go wrong.
The one who manipulates you or blackmail you doesn’t like you. Whoever does this kind of abuse doesn’t really know how to love.
He is unable to show respect or understanding. He is a person with whom you cannot have a healthy relationship.
5. Relationships based on lies
Some people lie without even realizing it, in a pathological way. They do this to achieve their goals, and to control their world by dominating the relationships they establish with others.
They may tell you that they love you, and that you are the most important person in their life.
However, far from behaving accordingly, they adopt dangerous attitudes, humiliating you and leaving you in the background.
Lies eventually come to light, and even though you may be able to forgive them at times, they end up destroying you from within. Don’t allow it.
6. Relationships Based on Victimization
These toxic relationships are very common, both within the couple and within the family. Impersonating a victim gives these people a lot of power.
They can grab our attention, make us feel guilty, and thus reinforce their domination over us.
“You always let me down when I need it most”, “I was sick this weekend and you didn’t call me, it’s clear you have many other priorities”.
If you’ve been through this type of situation before, you know that it is very painful, and that it causes very complex and mixed feelings, such as anger, embarrassment, and fear.
In conclusion, even though we all know what toxic relationships are, we still experience situations like all of the ones just described.
How can you defend yourself against this type of behavior?
Set limits, and be clear about your needs. Make the person in front of you understand that loving doesn’t mean blackmailing or crushing the other person. To love is to respect and to understand.
If you perceive that there is no improvement as a result of these actions, and the person continues to behave in an unacceptable way, you must start to distance yourself.
Do it for your health, both physical and mental.
