Have you noticed how some people will hurt you, and then act as you were hurting them?
Have you felt the suffocating consequences of being a victim of a toxic person?
If you find this relatable, then you definitely know what it’s like to have all of your energy drained by someone’s toxicity. You know the soul-crushing feeling of realizing you’ve been manipulated by the person you thought would never do anything to hurt you. And you know how much strength it requires to cut toxic friends and family off from your circle. But you also know how liberating that feels.
Avoiding certain people to protect your emotional health is not a weakness, but a power.
Below are listed several red flags to look out for if you believe you might be dealing with a toxic person.
1. They have no concept of empathy.
These are the people who would be nice to you, but rude to the waiter. They have no sense of compassion for anyone else but themselves. Moreover, they are never there when you need them. On the contrary, when they need you, they would do anything to get your attention. Not to mention, they’re awfully impolite to the people who stand below in the industrial or any other hierarchy.
2. They gossip all the time.
Gossiping is a simple-minded person’s form of entertainment. It brings no value to one’s personal growth and wellbeing. People who spend most of their time talking behind others’ backs are immoral individuals you should absolutely distance yourself from.
3. They are too darn negative.
Negativity follows these people like a shadow. If you spend most of your time surrounded by such negative vibes, you would inevitably feel drained emotionally and physically. The pessimistic outlook these people have on everything that happens in their life is contagious. And if you don’t take some action in time, soon your mind will be working with the same negative flow as theirs.
4. They are extremely self-centered.
These people don’t care about anything but their own comfort. They can talk about themselves for hours. And whenever the subject has nothing to do with them, they would simply get bored and exit the conversation. Suchlike people would do anything to achieve their goals, no matter the cost. And if they feel threatened, they will throw you under the bus, without having second thoughts about it.
5. Their minds are superficial.
For these people, the content doesn’t matter if the cover looks good. They don’t really care about someone’s soul because all they ever focus on is the outside appearance. They are vain and hollow, and they don’t even try to hide it. Try to observe them whenever they walk by a glass door. Do they just walk by it, or do they stop and gaze at their reflection? If they do the second one, you might be dealing not just with a toxic person, but with a narcissistic one as well.
6. They are overly stubborn.
Undoubtedly, anyone can be stubborn from time to time. However, toxic people can often be annoyingly relentless. For them, admitting they are wrong is unthinkable, even when they know they are making a mistake. Being around this kind of energy can make you feel awfully overwhelmed. To preserve your wellbeing and your mental health, you need to keep your distance from people who will never admit they failed and will blame you for all their mistakes.
7. They are always playing the role of the victim.
It’s certainly a toxic person’s trait to play the victim in all of their vicious little mind-games. They have the evil power to manipulate your perception and make you believe you were the one in the wrong. This so-called blameshifting is one of the many strategies they use to fool their victims, along with gaslighting, blackmailing, and scapegoating.
Tolerating a toxic person’s behavior is one of the worst things you could do to your mental health and emotional stability. If you notice some of these warning signs, make sure you keep a safe distance from the people behaving like that. You need to surround yourself with people who bring out the best in you, not the stress in you!