How Toxic People Are Silently Ruining Your Life: What to Do About Them

Imagine that you have a guest in your house who eats your food, tears up your sofa and complains that he doesn’t like the interior.

Now replace the house with your psyche, and the guest with a “friend” who constantly criticizes, manipulates, and leaves you feeling guilty after communicating.

Toxic people are like weeds: they grow unnoticed in your life, and it is almost impossible to uproot them. But how do you know that you are surrounded by such a person?

The first sign is that after talking to him you feel empty, not filled.

He rarely asks: “How are you?”, but he talks for hours about his problems, and if you try to change the subject, he gets offended or accuses you of selfishness.

The second marker is constant manipulation. “If you don’t do this, it means you don’t love me,” “You’re too sensitive, I’m just kidding.”

Toxic people masterfully play on your sense of duty and fear of loneliness, forcing you to justify your desires.

But why do we let them near us at all? Often, it’s because we’re afraid of being bad in the eyes of others. “What will they think if I stop communicating?” we worry.

Or because of the illusion that we can “fix” them. But the truth is that toxic people rarely change because they don’t see the problem in themselves.

They are happy with the status quo: they get attention, energy, and the opportunity to take out their negativity on someone.

What to do? The first step is to set firm boundaries. For example: “I will not discuss my personal decisions” or “I will not allow myself to be insulted.”

If the person continues to put pressure on you, reduce communication to a minimum. Yes, it is difficult, especially if it is a relative or an old friend.

But think about it: would you drink tea with poison just because it was poured into an expensive cup?

And most importantly, stop blaming yourself. You are not obliged to save those who are drowning you along with themselves.

Sometimes the only way to save yourself is to distance yourself, even if it hurts. Remember: healthy relationships should give you strength, not take it away.