{"id":1821,"date":"2020-01-14T15:45:38","date_gmt":"2020-01-14T15:45:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stillpointcounselingandwellness.com\/2020\/02\/19\/five-signs-you-are-in-a-toxic-relationship\/"},"modified":"2024-10-01T20:08:20","modified_gmt":"2024-10-01T20:08:20","slug":"five-signs-you-are-in-a-toxic-relationship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stillpointcounselingandwellness.com\/?p=1821","title":{"rendered":"Five Signs You are in a Toxic Relationship"},"content":{"rendered":"

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1) You feel exhausted or drained after spending time with them.<\/p>\n

Someone who is toxic is typically demanding and self-centered<\/strong>, which can understandably deplete your energy, causing fatigue. Spending quality time with someone you are close with should make you feel energized and leave you looking forward to your next meeting.<\/p>\n

2.) You are not able to be vulnerable or authentic in your relationship.<\/p>\n

Always being concerned with how your actions will affect the toxic person’s mood or behaviors inhibits authenticity and the ability to open up in the relationship<\/strong>. You may not feel like you are free to express your own thoughts and feelings without backlash.<\/p>\n

3.) You find yourself playing the role of a therapist or a parent.<\/p>\n

You often find yourself being responsible to care for the toxic person <\/strong>instead of being their partner or companion.<\/p>\n

4.) You find yourself setting boundaries that are never respected.<\/p>\n

The toxic person may struggle with adhering to clear physical, emotional, and spiritual boundaries which you have expressed cause you discomfort or pain.\u00a0 This leaves you feeling disrespected, unheard, and distrustful.
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\n5.)\u00a0 You feel isolated from friends and family.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The toxic person may take steps to seclude or isolate you from friends or family<\/strong> members, especially those who may challenge their control over your time and energy.\u00a0 This level of control is abusive and leaves people feeling alone, depressed, and hopeless at times.<\/span><\/p>\n

All relationships have their highs and lows. However, a toxic relationship feels like a constant battle<\/strong>.\u00a0 It can be mentally and emotionally damaging. Toxic relationships are defined by attributes of control, fear, and deception. If you feel you may be in a toxic relationship, it may be time to re-evaluate whether the relationship is worth saving. Outside support from someone you can trust can be helpful.\u00a0 Individual or couples counseling <\/strong>can help explore patterns of poor communication and emotional immaturity for which new skills and patterns of behavior can be developed.<\/span>\u200b<\/p>\n

Couples counseling can be an opportunity to learn more about your partner, to explore relationship issues together, and to adopt mutual strategies for healthy growth.\u00a0 However, it will not be easy. Relationship building requires one to be emotionally prepared, self-aware, and open to change. Dedicating time for personal reflection and goal setting can be beneficial.\u00a0 Change is hard, but know that you are worth it!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Author<\/h2>\n

Audrey Keeton is a licensed clinical social worker working with children, teens, and adults in Wilmington, NC.\u00a0 Audrey is passionate about celebrating diversity and strengths in her office.\u00a0 People describe her as compassionate, empathetic, and authentic in creating a welcoming environment for each client she meets.\u00a0 You can find out more about her by visiting her\u00a0bio.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

1) You feel exhausted or drained after spending time with them. Someone who is toxic is typically demanding and self-centered, which can understandably deplete your energy, causing fatigue. Spending quality time with someone you are close with should make you feel energized and leave you looking forward to your next meeting. 2.) You are not […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1834,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,7],"tags":[63,157,220,281],"class_list":["post-1821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-counseling-therapy","category-relationships","tag-couples-counseling","tag-marriage-therapy","tag-relationships","tag-toxic-relationships"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stillpointcounselingandwellness.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stillpointcounselingandwellness.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stillpointcounselingandwellness.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stillpointcounselingandwellness.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stillpointcounselingandwellness.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1821"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stillpointcounselingandwellness.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1821\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stillpointcounselingandwellness.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1834"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stillpointcounselingandwellness.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stillpointcounselingandwellness.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stillpointcounselingandwellness.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}