Malice, betrayal, abuse, and such dysfunctionalities turn a relationship toxic. If you are in a relationship that is robbing you of your peace and happiness, you must be struggling to deduce what is a toxic relationship and how to cope with it. Then this article is for you.

A toxic relationship depletes you more than it replenishes you. Signs of a toxic relationship can be found in all aspects of human bonding, not just romantic relationships. Relationships that are toxic are draining and can have a negative impact on one’s mental health and overall well-being.

In this article, we’ll go over everything you need to know about toxic relationships, including warning signs, different types of toxic relationships, and how to deal with these dysfunctional relationship dynamics.

What Is A Toxic Relationship?

You will feel unhappy, emotionally drained, and unsupported in a toxic relationship. It could even put your physical safety, emotional well-being, and social standing in jeopardy. A toxic relationship is one that makes you miserable and takes away your power.

A toxic relationship can exist between romantic partners, parents and their children, coworkers, or even friends. The red flags can be obvious at times, but the lies and emotional abuse can also be subtle and covert. As a result, it’s critical to recognise the warning signs of a toxic relationship and make the necessary changes to protect one’s emotional well-being.

What Makes A Relationship Toxic?

It is not necessary for both partners in a relationship to be to blame for the relationship’s toxic nature. It’s possible that one of them is a narcissist or a sociopath, and is solely responsible for their dysfunctional relationship’s poor state.

People without narcissistic or sociopathic personality disorders can be toxic as well. They have the ability to drain a person’s positivity in a variety of ways, including complaining constantly, making rude comments, belittling others, and generally being obnoxious and negative. They have no idea how obnoxious they can be, and they may lack social skills such as empathy or emotional intelligence.

You may like to read: 11 Types of Toxic Relationships

Differences between a toxic relationship and a healthy relationship

A Healthy Relationship –

• Offers security
• Thrives on love and care
• Promotes positive self-image and overall healthy outlook
• Based on self-less giving not ego-based demanding
• Encourages and boosts confidence
• Mutual respect is values
• Trust and faithfulness are upheld from both ends

A Toxic Relationship –

• Promotes insecurity
• Jealousy is a constant theme
• Results in an overall negative outlook
• At least one of the parties is self-centered
• Criticism and belittling attitude is a norm
• Respect is demanded but not reciprocated
• Visible lack of trust
• Physical and/or mental abuse is normalized

What Are The Signs Of A Toxic Relationship?

No relationship is perfect; every relationship has ups and downs, but a toxic relationship can be defined as one in which the bad outweighs the good. Some common signs of a toxic relationship include the following:

1. A Support System Is Missing

You never feel the other person has your back. They never support you in any difficult time or situation of your life.

2. Negative Interactions

All your communications are negative and leave you feeling scared, upset, angry, or irritated. You rarely feel good after talking to them and more often than not, dread communicating with them.

3. Lack of Trust

What is the single most important factor that causes a relationship to become toxic? It’s all about faith. In a toxic relationship, one or both partners lose faith in each other. You may be in a toxic relationship if you feel like you’re constantly being scrutinised.

4. Controlling Nature

One of the most obvious signs of a toxic relationship is when one partner constantly seeks to dominate and control the other, whether through direct coercion or covert manipulation like gaslighting or threats of self-harm. If you feel like you’re being micro-managed, be cautious.

5. Dishonesty

In toxic relationships, it’s common to see one person try to keep their end of the bargain by remaining honest to the other, while the one who doubts the other’s integrity turns out to be the dishonest one.

6. Disrespect

In a toxic relationship, mutual respect is never valued. If you feel constantly belittled and insulted in a relationship, you are most likely in a toxic one.

7. Resentment

Do you hold grudges against each other instead of loving and caring for one another? Do they accuse you of being to blame for everything that goes wrong in their lives? These are all signs of an unhealthy relationship.

8. Unhealthy Financial Behavior

In a toxic relationship, one partner can take unfair advantage of the other’s finances by stealing their credit card information, demanding to be bailed out of sticky situations, and so on.

9. Stress

What are the telltale signs of an unhealthy relationship? Stress! If you’re constantly stressed out because of a particular relationship, you can be sure it’s a toxic one.

10. Ignoring Attitude

Your needs and wishes will always be overlooked and discounted if you are in a toxic relationship dynamic. You’ll have the impression that you’re unimportant to them or that you’re not good enough.

11. Negative Impact On Other Relationships

A toxic relationship will have detrimental effects on your other relationships. A toxic person may influence or force you to cut off ties with your friends or other well-wishers so that you are alienated from everyone and remain under their sole control.

12. Poor Self-image

In a toxic relationship, you will stop feeling good about yourself and if it is a romantic relationship, you will eventually stop taking care of your appearance and your health.

13. Fear

A toxic relationship has the potential to make you feel extremely fearful. If the other person threatens you or follows through on their threat of physical violence, you will be terrified for the rest of your life.

14. Unrealistic Expectations

Hopefully, you’ve discovered the answer to your question, “What is a toxic relationship?” by now. If you recognise the characteristics in one of your troubled relationships but continue to hold out hope that they will change someday, you should consider this one of the signs of a toxic relationship.

You may like to read: 11 Types of Toxic Relationships

Healing a Toxic Relationship

It is not impossible to heal a toxic relationship if both parties agree to accept responsibility for their actions and work together to correct the relationship’s dysfunctionalities. Counselling or therapy with a relationship counsellor or therapist can be beneficial.

Here Are Some Helpful Tips To Manage A Toxic Relationship:

1. Talk It Out

Talk to the person who is causing you pain and discuss how you can work on your relationship.

2. Re-evaluate The Relationship

Think about what is a toxic relationship to you, and how do you weigh the pros and cons of your situation.

3. Limit Interactions

If the toxic person belongs to your family or friends group, you might want to limit the time you spend with them with fewer interactions.

4. Acceptance

Accept when the person is unwilling or unable to change their toxic behaviour, and come to a decision about whether or not you want to keep the relationship alive.

A Final Word On Toxic Relationships

A word of caution from our end: if you are being abused and exploited in any of your relationships, don’t fall for the bait of future faking or false promises that will never materialise. Prioritize your safety, speak with trusted friends or authorities who are concerned, and get on with your life.

You may like to read: 11 Types of Toxic Relationships