5 Faces of Toxic Relationships

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As humans, we can read all the brilliant self-help books and possess wisdom about relationships, yet so many of us still are hindered by toxicity. We are often scared to speak up to those who produce toxic vibes and are even more fearful of leaving a romantic relationship, a friendship or a job due to toxicity.

Toxicity presents itself in all different forms and some of the worst come from individuals who appear shiny and nice. Shiny and nice on the outside can be an illusion, as things aren’t always as they appear and neither are people. The five faces of toxic relationshipsare common personality traits that are prevalent in abusive relationships but may be hidden behind a successful and superficially kind person.

Hitting close to home

Relationship toxicity is something my co-contributor, Kristen Fuller, M.D., experienced firsthand, which resulted in her passion for communicating about the topic. She writes: “I myself had all the tools to avoid a toxic relationship, but I entered into an emotionally and mentally toxic relationship with someone who seemed like he had everything: a great family, prestigious education, a successful career and apparently a kind personality. I quickly realized this was all a facade and learned how deep toxicity runs and why it is so hard to escape emotional and mental torture when someone looks so ‘perfect’ on the outside.

“As the saying goes, ‘Beauty is only skin deep.’ I learned the importance of recognizing toxic relationships and friendships and how to navigate these types of relationships. I have learned to cut out the bad people in my life and treasure those who bring positivity. In the end, I have become a stronger person in all capacities, even though it took being dragged through what seemed like endless amounts of darkness.”

Whether it is cutting ties to a friendship, a romantic relationship, a family member or a work relationship, most of us can relate to the feelings of drowning because of a toxic individual. Of course, there are many more than five faces of toxic relationships, but these seem to be fairly common. All of these faces can overlap, and two or more may occur simultaneously. Think of this as the original Greek theater, where actors walked on stage with various masks… Read More>>

Source: Psychology Today

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