Alexei Muravsky | Contributor
Featured Image: Constant manipulation and guilt are both strong indications of a toxic relationship. | Courtesy of Christian Clausen
A toxic relationship is unfavourable to yourself or others. These partnerships aren’t limited to romantic affairs—they can also be between family members, friends, or co-workers, just to name a few.
They can cause serious mental health problems, such as stress, anxiety, depression, and in severe cases dissociation, and/or trauma.
Due to the nature of how relationships form, and how they change over time, it can be hard to distinguish when those close to you are toxic, and it is even harder to admit to yourself that they are manipulative once you have come to love and care for them.
Toxic relationships are defined as connections that drag you or others down. Unlike physical abuse, the signs are not always as obvious.
This category of abuse takes the form of verbal aggression, and dominant and subversive behaviours.
Verbal aggression ranges from directly spoken insults, to more discrete put-downs and discouragements. Dominant behaviours, such as stifling your freedoms, or presenting a sense of intimidation, serve to keep a victim under a perpetrator’s influence.
Subversive behaviours may include passive aggressiveness, arbitrary and unpredictable inconsistency, manipulation of emotions, and gaslighting—where its effect can be a frightening one.
Slowly, one’s own self-concept and independence are stripped away from them, if the toxic relationship continues running its course.
Recognition of abuse is the first step towards its prevention. At times, it can be challenging to make a clean break—but that is often the best option.
Breaking off these relationships may cause the person to use one of their most dangerous weapons—guilt. The irony is that this works on people with stronger consciences—something that toxic people tend to lack.
It can be a challenge to see what’s best for yourself when you are invested in any kind of relationship—however, it is necessary for your own mental well-being.
Find a support system that is going to lift you up instead of push you down. Your happiness weighs more than the excuses you provide to unhealthy individuals and the doubt that they place in you.
By trying to see people for who they are instead of who we would like them to be, we may make some progress on this front in the future.
