9 Tips for Adjusting to a “New Normal” During and Post-Covid-19
9 Ways to Know if You Need to End or Set Firm Boundaries in a Seemingly Toxic Relationship
“Toxic” is a word that is being thrown around a lot these days in reference to relationships (romantic, platonic, familial, etc.). And unfortunately, with any psychosocial issue that becomes a “fad,” we often see occasions where we may over-diagnose or misdiagnose a problem. For example, someone may be going through problems in a relationship that fall within the healthy/expected range but may find themselves using the word toxic to describe an otherwise loving and supportive relationship. So, as a psychotherapist, I definitely recommend caution in how we use this word to label our relationships and I encourage you to only use it for those specific instances for which it holds true. With that caveat in mind, there are absolutely situations in which a relationship is toxic and warrants that we reconsider whether it is best to keep this person in our lives, set firm boundaries with them, or remove them from our circle completely. Whatever decision you make, of course, is ultimately your choice, but here are nine ways to know if a relationship (romantic or otherwise) is toxic and if you need to do something about it:
9 Tips for Getting Closure from a Relationship that Did Not End on Good Terms
In our modern era of dating and relationships, it can seem like the pool of pickings for finding Mr. or Mrs. Right is very slim. Many of us have been hurt or even devastated by past relationships and, as a result, we have become very hesitant to embrace another. The idea of being vulnerable in a current or future relationship can feel terrifying because we are already anticipating the negative outcomes of letting our walls down and being open to love again. We ask ourselves, “Would he take advantage of my vulnerability?” “Will she abuse my good nature and kind heart?” “If I give him that much access to me and he cheats on me or mistreats me, is there any recovering from that?”
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