People change. It’s a mixed blessing.
Sometimes it’s for the best. More often than not, change is incredibly easy to miss because it happens gradually. There are, however, signs that someone is beginning to drag you down. It can be a significant other or a friend. Either way, when someone is toxic, you should probably just cut ties.
In A Relationship
Sometimes relationships end amicably. This isn’t always the case. If your significant other starts controlling your every action or tracking your social media accounts, it’s likely things are going south. When it comes down to it, trust is one of the most important things to have.
It also goes without question that any sort of physical harm is a clear sign it’s over.
Sometimes these behaviors are subtle and come with a claim that they’re helpful or positive, but that’s absolutely not the case. Ask your friends for advice—they may have picked up on something you haven’t. Perhaps by noticing, meaningful communication can happen to fix the problem. If not, it’s time to ditch the relationship.
As the Huffington Post states, there are mental things to note. It doesn’t always have to be physical harm. Sometimes it’s the emotions in a relationship that change, and this is important. Look at every factor that contributes to a decline in a relationship.
In A Friendship
You’re not in a monogamous friend-marriage. They don’t control your phone or who you see, so what are the warning signs for friends?
One of the biggest signs is if they never make any time for you. No hangouts.
No afternoon coffee, no happy hour margaritas or weekend movie nights. Friendships happen due to a mutual effort. If the effort isn’t there, it could be a dying friendship.There are so many little things that could be mentioned, but a nice piece on Thought Catalog finds a way to encompass so many small moments or reactions that just take the cake on describing a toxic friend. One of the best ones, though, is how a bad friend will refuse to let you grow and change.
So while it is never easy to cut people from your life, sometimes it is just better that way. Negative influences really just hamper your own growth and happiness. That is no way to live.
Feature Photo via US Weekly