“Like arsenic, toxic people will slowly kill you. They kill your positive spirit and play with your mind and emotions. The only cure is to let them go.”
– Dennisse Lisseth
Being in a relationship with a toxic person can be difficult, mostly because they can be hard to spot and often even harder to get away from.
Even though not all toxic people will exhibit all of these characteristics, here are 7 signs that can warn you of a potential toxic relationship.
1. They get extremely jealous
Toxic people can get so jealous that they will try to control their partner in an unhealthy way. This one can be a little murky since not all boundaries are valid. Toxic individuals use ‘boundaries’ as a way to control, and then play the victim themselves once their ‘boundaries’ are crossed or disrespected.
2. They are always right, you are always wrong
When a person in your life never takes ownership of their mistakes and insists that you are the one to blame all the time, then you’re likely dealing with a toxic person.
They will go to extreme lengths to appear right, including twisting facts or challenging the truthfulness of your memories. Toxic individuals are never willing to admit that they have made a mistake, misspoken, or miscalculated something.
3. They have a constant need to be the center of attention
Sure, it can be a great feeling to sometimes be the center of attention and have others admire you. But for someone who is toxic this is a constant need. Just like a drug, they crawl for attention to fill their emptiness and will do whatever it takes to get it. This includes interrupting even your most important conversations, or acting like drama queens so everyone switches their focus to them.
4. They don’t know the meaning of compassion
Toxic people have a difficult time empathizing with others or being compassionate towards them. Because they are so over-focused on themselves, they are unable to notice the suffering of other people or give them the time of day.
5. They share too much about themselves
They waste no time to disclose deeply personal information about themselves or even others straight away. This is because they want to be approved of so badly they will bear any secret. Once they sense that you disapprove of them, however, they will turn against you and any information they have on you will be used against you, or in future attempts to come off as the victim to others.
6. They never apologize
Even if they know they are wrong, toxic individuals will not say sorry (and mean it). On the occasions they do apologize, it is usually a tactical move to manipulate you to give them what they want later. They feel that they are right by default, no matter the circumstances, and will twist the truth in order to appear right, or blame others.
7. They are always negative
Toxic people have a never-ending supply of negativity. Whether it be moaning about or judging others, a toxic person is always in the worst state of mind. In their heads nothing ever goes as planned and the world is a nasty, terrible place. Being around such a negative person can really suck out all your energy.
Make sure to recognize whether your partner/friend exhibits these signs and don’t hesitate to remove them from your life before it’s too late.
Do you believe there are some signs of toxic people we may have missed here?
Let us know by joining the conversation in the comments and please share this article if you’ve enjoyed the read.
