“We have all had toxic relationships. They may have been with friends, family members, partners, neighbors, colleagues or bosses. These are relationships that deplete you of your energy, infuse you with negativity, bring unnecessary drama or conflict to your life, and trigger feelings of low self-esteem, insecurity, resentment, frustration or irritability.
It’s important to realize that toxic people are often unconsciously making you feel how they feel about themselves, in other words, it is more about them than it is about you. I like the expression, ‘Relationships are like elevator buttons; they either bring you up or bring you down.’ It’s important for all of us to routinely take inventory of our support systems and care enough about ourselves to free ourselves from toxic relationships. This creates space to establish and nurture positive relationships.
As human beings, we’re all attracted to what is familiar. We may have unconsciously recreated old dysfunctional relationship patterns from our roles in our families-of-origin in our current personal and professional lives. As we become more conscious and move forward in our lives, we need to reevaluate these relationships, empower ourselves to shift our boundaries or to even end these relationships altogether.”
