We’ve all had them: toxic relationships in our lives. Sometimes we didn’t even know they were toxic until it was too late and we found ourselves in a hole of depression, anger, or hopelessness. Toxic relationships are unhealthy for us with long-term consequences on our mental health, which is why ending one can feel like such a relief. However, when the time finally comes to end that relationship, many people don’t know how to go about doing so without hurting themselves or their partner more than necessary. Here’s an easy step-by-step guide on how you end a toxic relationship for good!
Contents
What Is Toxic Relationship?
A toxic relationship is a relationship that is not healthy and has the potential to damage your self-esteem.
A toxic relationship can be abusive or emotionally draining, leaving you empty and hurting in a way that lingers long after the breakup is over. Toxic relationships are damaging because they prevent us from realizing our full potential as individuals; when we let someone else control how we feel about ourselves, we put our lives on hold for them — and often lose track of what actually makes us happy in favor of making another person happy (or at least less sad).
Negative Impacts of Toxic Relationship
There can be many negative impacts of toxic relationships. Some of them are as follows:
Loss of Confidence
There can be a significant loss of confidence in those who are involved in a toxic relationship. Often, we lose sight of our own strengths and start to believe the negative things our partner says about us. This can lead to low self-esteem and a feeling that we are not good enough, both of which can be incredibly damaging in the long run.
Depression
Toxic relationships can often lead to depression. When we are constantly surrounded by negativity, it is difficult to remain positive ourselves — and eventually, this will take its toll on our mental health. Depression caused by a toxic relationship can be very hard to overcome without professional help.
Anxiety
Similarly, anxiety is another common outcome of being in a toxic relationship. When we’re constantly worried about how our partner is going to react, or what we did wrong this time, it can be very difficult to relax and enjoy life. This constant state of stress can lead to long-term health problems if left untreated.
Isolation
Toxic relationships often result in isolation. We start to withdraw from our friends and family members as we become more and more invested in the relationship. This leaves us feeling alone and unsupported when things eventually fall apart.
Anger
Lastly, one of the most common outcomes of a toxic relationship is anger. We may start to feel incredibly frustrated with our partners, sometimes even lashing out at them in frustration. This anger can stay with us long after the relationship has ended, making it difficult to move on.
How to End a Toxic Relationship
Ending a toxic relationship is not easy, but it’s necessary if you want to be happy again. Here are some tips for ending your toxic relationship:
Be Honest With Yourself
First of all, you need to figure out why this person is making you feel so bad about yourself. Are they just insecure bullies? Or do their negative words speak the truth that you don’t want to hear? Being honest with yourself can make the process easier — and give clarity on whether or not the toxicity in your life will ever end without cutting ties completely.
Get Support from Friends and Family
It always helps when we have people around us who love us unconditionally; having positive relationships outside of our toxic ones can be incredibly helpful when it comes time to end the relationship. Talk to your friends and family about what you’re going through, and ask for their support in making this difficult decision.
Create Safety Plan
If you feel unsafe or like you may not be able to leave the relationship on your own, create a safety plan with your loved ones. This could involve having a friend stay with you when your partner is away, having an emergency fund saved up in case you need to leave quickly, or even having a packed bag ready to go if things get bad.
Talk to Your Partner About Your Concerns
If possible, try talking to your partner about why the relationship isn’t healthy for you. If they’re willing to work on the relationship, it may be possible to salvage things — but if they react negatively or refuse to change their behavior, then it’s time to say goodbye.
Create Boundaries
You should also set some boundaries in the relationship. Some ways to do this are:
– Don’t let them manipulate you with guilt or anger
– Stick to your guns when it comes time for arguments
– Set limits on how much negative behavior is acceptable before you leave
Try to Avoid Contact
If possible, try to avoid any contact with your partner once the break-up has occurred. This includes social media, text messages, and in-person meetings. It can be incredibly difficult, but it’s important to give yourself some space to heal.
Treat Yourself
You can try to treat yourself after the break-up. This could include spending time with friends and family, taking a vacation, or doing something you’ve always wanted to do but couldn’t before because of your partner.
Try To Heal
You should also try to heal after the break-up. This could include joining a support group for people in toxic relationships, getting therapy or counseling, and even self-care activities like yoga or meditation.
Moving On After Toxic Relationship
It takes time to fully recover from a toxic relationship, but it is possible. Here are a few tips for moving on after a toxic relationship:
Give Yourself Time
The healing process will take time. Don’t expect to be over your ex overnight — allow yourself to grieve the loss of the relationship and don’t rush into anything new too quickly.
Talk About What Happened
Talking about your experience with friends and family can help you heal as well. It’s also important to process the relationship, which means writing down thoughts or feelings that come up during this time — even if it seems like they don’t make sense right away.
Create New Vision for Yourself
Creating a new vision for yourself after the break-up is key. This could include writing out what you want in an ideal partner — and sticking to those standards going forward so that no one else will be able to take advantage of you again.
Take Time to Have Fun
You should also try to have fun instead of thinking about the past. Try new hobbies, meet up with friends for happy hour after work, or go on a weekend trip with your best friend.
Allow Yourself To Grieve
Grieving is an important part of healing from this experience. You may struggle to deal with feelings of anger and sadness — but don’t ignore them by distracting yourself with other things in life. Allow yourself time each day where you can sit quietly and process what happened so that you can move forward as soon as possible.
Conclusion
In conclusion, ending a toxic relationship can be difficult. However, if you’re able to recognize the signs of toxicity early on and plan accordingly it will give you more confidence when breaking things off with your partner. Knowing how to end a toxic relationship is important for protecting yourself emotionally — so don’t wait any longer before taking action.
For more information, please contact MantraCare. Relationships are an essential part of human life. It is the connection between people, and it helps us to form social bonds, understand and empathize with others. If you have any queries regarding Online Relationship Counseling experienced therapists at MantraCare can help: Book a trial therapy session