According to WebMD, “a toxic person is anyone whose behavior adds negativity and upset to your life.” Odds are, at some point in your life, you have encountered a person like this. There’s probably an equally as good chance that you still have a toxic person in your life. If someone immediately came to mind when you heard the words “toxic person,” then it’s likely that person. However, it’s not always easy to determine if someone is a toxic influence in your life. Here are a few good indicators that someone is toxic.
There’s more drama than peace:
We all know someone that always seems to have drama going on in their life. Well, it’s not always a coincidence. Drama follows people for a good reason typically. That’s because toxic people love drama, even if they don’t act like it. Emotions and conflict are where toxic people flourish. Drama gives them a chance to manipulate emotions and potentially add more fuel to the fire. Drama doesn’t always mean toxic, but if drama seems to be consistently prevalent in someone’s life, take notice.
They lie:
Lying is hands down one of the biggest traits found in toxic people. Toxic people lie often, typically because they are trying to be manipulative or they’re too afraid to take responsibility for their actions. Sometimes, toxic people will lie because they have low self-esteem. Lying is like second nature to them, they aren’t just occasionally exaggerating a story, they’re blatantly being dishonest, even with smaller things. If you catch someone lying often, there’s a good chance they are a toxic person.
They’re always the victim:
One of the greatest tools of manipulation is victimizing yourself. This goes hand in hand with constantly lying and having drama in your life. Watch how someone talks when there is conflict in their life. Are they always the victim in their stories? Do they ever talk about their mistakes? Or is it always someone else’s fault? This is not to say they can’t be the victim, but, toxic people love having sympathy and attention. What better way to get that than to always make yourself sound like the victim?
Lack of apologizing:
Healthy relationships and friendships are built on being honest. However, they’re also built on taking responsibility and knowing when you’re wrong. Toxic people hate to apologize. They don’t want you to think that they’re wrong. More often than not, they’re trying to turn things around on you or pointing the blame somewhere else.
It’s all about them:
Just as we said with drama following people, we all know someone who needs everything to be about them. If someone is telling a story about themselves, the other person will be quick to try to one-up it or will interject themselves into it in someone. Toxic people want to be the center of attention. Another good way to identify if someone is like this is by seeing if they talk more than they listen. It’s easy to have everyone’s attention when you’re the one constantly making noise. In healthy relationships and friendships, you will have a good balance of both talking and listening.
Don’t miss out on any of our awesome content, subscribe to our blog below!