5 Awful Things a Toxic Relationship Does to YOUR Psychic Health!
Poison for body, mind and soul. Toxic relationships don't bear this name for nothing; they poison us slowly, permanently, and leave a bitter aftertaste even very long after they have ended. When we are in the middle of the eye of the tornado, we lose our orientation and see no way out. Not even outsiders can help us, because we are too much under the influence of our manipulative partners. They understand this perfectly. A finely tuned game of carrot and stick, affection and withdrawal of love, closeness and distance, from which there is no escape. We easily overlook the first warning signs that we are heading straight for a toxic relationship: Especially at the beginning of a new love affair, we tend very strongly to see our counterpart with rose-colored glasses. We’ll all too easily overlook the red flag, on the other hand, that occasionally pops up to warn us about our new acquaintance’s unhealthy habits. The problem with toxic relationships is that they are difficult to recognize as such in the beginning. Once you're in the middle of them, it seems almost impossible to escape. When they are finally over, the damage on an emotional and psychological level is so great that they are capable of casting a long dark shadow. It is not uncommon for it to take years for victims of such manipulative schemes to be ready for a new love again. Toxic relationships are just that for us, pure poison. The damage they can do to our mental health is summarized for you in this article.
1. Healthy relationships irritate you
It's hard to rank the worst consequences of toxic relationships. But this item deserves the sad number one spot in this ranking, for anyone who has ever been caught in the clutches of a toxic partnership will find normal relationships strange and unusual. People who want to do us good, spend time with us without ulterior motives, or simply enjoy our closeness without any particular purpose irritate us. We may have been busy for years weighing our every word and every action, only to be punished again with a cold shoulder or the displeasure of our so-called better half. A togetherness without diffuse rules that nobody understands but the diabolical puppeteers at our side seems incomprehensible to us. Many victims of toxic machinations find it difficult to enjoy a conversation because they are not used to speaking freely and openly without fear of the consequences. Regaining trust after such experiences and making new acquaintances without reservations is a real Herculean task that often requires professional help.
2. Your self-esteem is in the pits
Toxic people love to have control over their fellow human beings and their lives. They perfectly master a whole series of psychological tricks to keep their partners on a very short leash. One of them consists in creating the impression that nobody else could find them attractive, lovable or even remotely interesting. Subtle innuendos soon give way to tangible insults and belittling of those who actually deserve respect and love. Narcissists have a knack for probing the vulnerabilities and sore spots of their fellow human beings and using them for their own purposes. Any information you give away about yourself will eventually be used as a weapon
3. You start to cut yourself off from other people
Not only are the victims no good in these toxic partnerships, but their friends and families are also judged to be unworthy and lacking. This lesson is taught by manipulative people right off the bat. Getting to know families and friends more closely is kept within strict limits. If such meetings then nevertheless take place, they end with criticism without end and usually also with the statement that these people are not the correct company for you. On the other hand, your friends and family will quickly notice that this new person at your side wants to control you and your life. Loved ones will try to show you the red flags that you unfortunately cannot see yourself. The result will be that you will eventually break off contact with everyone who has ever been critical or negative about your new great love. Toxic people themselves hardly have any friends of their own.
4. Insecurity is your constant companion
The game, the manipulative partner and dictator, has no discernible rules. You are loved or rejected, praised or blamed, depending on their mood and condition. One day behavior A is fine, the next day it is completely wrong and almost a reason for separation. You find yourself at some point on an emotional roller coaster, where all you do all day is try not to lose your grip. Since no clear pattern is recognizable, you can't win this game. As a result, permanent insecurity becomes your shadow. You start to doubt yourself, which is of course fuel for the fire of your toxic opponent. Quite often they use the tactic of gaslighting which can drive you definitively and sometimes unfortunately literally insane or at least make you seriously doubt your sanity.
5. Pessimism determines your thinking
Since you can't seem to do anything right anymore, everything must be wrong. This mental negative spiral soon determines your entire thinking and becomes the credo of your life. Unfortunately, this effect does not subside with the end of toxic love. A bad experience with a partner who manipulated us and played us like puppets on invisible strings can manifest itself as a pessimistic basic attitude. Such emotional and psychological wounds run deep and are painful long after they have been inflicted.
Our conclusion: Incurable poison
Unfortunately, it’s not so easy to escape these mechanisms quickly and easily, or to successfully leave them behind for good at some point. Research has shown that to compensate for a negative experience, our mind would need five positives to forget it or at least put it to rest. Unfortunately, it's the same with toxic relationships. Even if we resist them with every fiber of our body and soul, these drastic experiences are not so easy to shake off. Even a subsequent, harmonious and intact relationship will always be haunted by the shadows of our past. Psychological injuries are also so difficult to cure because they are invisible and hard to put into words. The easiest way to escape the aftermath of toxic manipulation is through sheer force of will. Whoever decides not to give any more power to a narcissistic and control-addicted person has, after all, already half won. Professional help is also usually advisable in such cases, since trust in people is, as just explained, severely damaged. A neutral person can help best in this case. He sees the dilemma from a bird's eye view and remains completely objective. This would certainly be the best and most effective way to banish the demons of the past once and for all.