Toxic humans and toxic relationships have existed since time immemorial. They’ve been ruining people’s peace since forever. They often create chaos and they will leave you with nothing but unhappiness when they are bored of you. That’s why cutting toxic people out of your life should be your top priority if you want to protect your sanity. Regardless of what stage of life you are in, you will always be met with toxic individuals who are waiting to cause damage to your self-worth and self-esteem. 

To prevent that from happening, you must be able to recognize such toxic traits and characteristics before it ruins your mental health. You can develop a natural defense mechanism to block toxic people out of your life. On the other hand, if you don’t know when to cut someone out of your life who is venomous, there are chances of them taking advantage of your good nature. It doesn’t matter if it’s your best friend or someone from your family. Their toxicity will gradually increase over time and your well-being will be in complete jeopardy. 

Why Is It Important To Cut Toxic People From Your Life?

Toxic beings are infamous for their three repeated patterns of:

  • Exuding bad vibes
  • Draining other people’s energy 
  • Making others feel conscious and bad about themselves 
  • Making people question their worth 
  • Picking at their weaknesses and vulnerabilities 
  • Severely damaging people’s self-respect and confidence 
  • Making everyone’s life difficult 

Their lack of self-assurance is what makes people toxic. A toxic person will block, threaten, and sabotage the idea of self-improvement in someone else. They want everything for themselves. In plain words, they can suck the life out of you. This is why removing a toxic person from your life is vital. It’s good for your own peace of mind. 

Think about toxicity in a broad spectrum. On one hand, someone from your family is trying to bring you down and on the other hand, your old friend is throwing a fit that you guys don’t hang out enough because you are busy with your new friends when in fact, they were the ones to ditch you several times. They are both instances of toxicity. Do you really want to be friends with someone who makes you feel worthless?

Let’s say you are the butt of all their jokes and you hate the fact that they make people laugh at you. That’s a toxic individual who doesn’t deserve to be in your life. Similarly, if you are in a relationship with someone but they constantly make you feel like you don’t deserve to be with them or they try to make you feel small all the time, you need to learn how to cut off a toxic person you love. 

7 Signs Of A Toxic Person 

Toxic humans have bitten us all with their poison at least once in our lives. It’s crucial to detect toxicity in the early stages in someone and nip it in the bud because it may seem like it’s not a big deal in the beginning but it will cause irrevocable damages soon. Removing a toxic person from your life is not going to be easy. You need to be able to identify their traits before they exhaust and mentally drain you out. 

1. They crave attention 

Attention-seeking behavior stems from low self-esteem, lack of confidence, and jealous nature. A toxic individual who craves attention will try to become the focal point for everyone to notice. They are purposefully loud and think that they deserve extra importance. Some attention-seeking examples of this behavior include:

  • Toxic partners often fish for compliments. Your emotional process of admiring and praising them will only stroke their ego 
  • A toxic person will deliberately incite anger in someone else to see their reaction. They will provoke others without any reason or justification 
  • Narrating over the top stories that never took place just to make themselves look like a hero

2. A grandiose sense of self-worth

Selfish, self-absorbed, and self-centered are all toxic characteristics. A feeling of superiority will engulf them. They feel like they are entitled to special treatments and they think everyone’s life is beneath theirs. They consider themselves unstoppable and they think they have unmatched qualities. Even their family knows they are toxic and they will barely keep in touch with them.

When a toxic person has all the above mentioned traits, it’s usually a glaring sign of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Just like any other toxic people trait, this is also driven by insecurity. If you are thinking of cutting toxic ties with someone who has a grandiose sense of self-importance, now is the right time to do it. 

3. They will never apologize 

A toxic person will never apologize because they think they can and will never do anything wrong. They can never accept their flaws, errors in judgment, and imperfections. They will even go to the lengths of lying and deceiving before finally accepting their mistake. Even when they apologize, their words are minced with “ifs” and “buts”. 

Some other things toxic humans do to avoid saying sorry include:

  • Twisting the story and making you think like you are the wrong one
  • They will threaten to end the relationship and cut ties with you 
  • They will punish you by stonewalling after the fight

4. They will always act like a victim 

Perpetual victims are truly toxic people. They will always blame others for the unhappiness, misery, and suffering in their life. From their toxic relationship problems to their work stress, nothing is ever their fault. It’s always someone else who is causing a ruckus in their life. Here are some reasons why they have a victim mentality: 

  • Past trauma
  • Betrayal
  • They feel like they are losing control 
  • They feel powerless 

Cut toxic people by focusing on your own needs. If this toxic person is someone you are married to, it’s best to firmly restate your perspective on this. In this case, you can’t be ignoring a toxic person because they are your family. You have to find a way out to reduce their increased toxicity by talking to them. Tell them that they have fallen into a loop of toxic victimhood and they need to get their act together.  

5. They make you beg for their love 

A toxic person will make you beg for affection, love, appreciation, and acknowledgment. Their love is conditional and transactional. You need to block toxic people who love you only when you appease them or do something to make them happy. Just cutting toxic ties with them won’t help. You will have to set boundaries with them and spend time on self-improvement because by now, they must have harmed your mental health.

Cut toxic people if they make you beg for their love and if you don’t know what begging for love means, here are some signs:

  • You keep texting this toxic person but they never reply 
  • You try to change yourself hoping they would like you better 
  • You wake up every day feeling unworthy of being in their life
  • Your friends and family members warn you about their toxic nature 
  • You feel drained after meeting them

6. They gaslight you 

Cutting toxic people out of your life who gaslight you should be your number one priority if you feel like something is off. Gaslighting is always subtle. It’s never in your face. It’s one of the most challenging things ever to find out if you are being gaslighted. Here are some signs:

  • You constantly find yourself doubting the reality and your sanity 
  • You question your thoughts, perspective, judgment, and opinion 
  • You feel vulnerable and insecure when you are with someone who is supposed to make you feel secure 
  • You feel hopeless and helpless
  • You worry if they will leave you for someone else
  • You are always apologizing irrespective of whose fault it is

7. Toxic people have no regard for boundaries 

Toxic partners don’t know the meaning of firm boundaries. Their increased toxicity will make you feel suffocated. There is no privacy or alone time with them. They hover around you as if they own you. Their own lives matter more than yours and they will invade your personal space. For example, they will touch you without your permission or they will make you feel uncomfortable by standing too close to you in a public space. 

When you want to have some time for yourself, you will be met with judgment and suspicion. They think “me time” is one of the hard boundaries that ruin a relationship. They check with you before planning a dinner with their family members and the word “no” isn’t in their dictionary. That’s why it’s crucial to become selfish and cut toxic people out of your life to focus on yourself.

Letting toxic people go

Your 4-Step Guide To Cutting Toxic People Out Of Your Life

A toxic person won’t respect your time or your career goals. Under their influence and manipulation, you may soon begin undermining and under appreciating yourself. That’s why it’s essential to know how and when to cut someone out of your life.

Furthermore, There are many benefits of cutting out toxic friends or a partner like not feeling drained person anymore, your mental well-being is healthy and intact, and you won’t feel like a terrible human being. If you want to know some ways of staying away from toxic people, scroll down and read. 

1. Know that you don’t owe them any explanation 

When cutting toxic people out of your life, you may feel guilty for leaving them alone. This feeling is normal because you were being gaslighted for so long into believing that they are the only good thing in your life. That’s not true. You will have a life without them and it will be a happier one. Listed below are some tips on how to talk to them:

  • Tell toxic friends, lovers, and family members how you feel about them
  • Don’t get into a debate or a conflict when they get defensive 
  • Don’t do this over text messages 
  • Keep your words simple. Use “I” sentences to make your feelings known
  • Don’t take your tone to a different threshold. Remain calm 

2. Set clear boundaries when cutting off toxic people

No matter how close this person is, create distance between you and them. Set limits as to what they can say to you, how often they can meet you, how much alone time you would require among other things. Just ignoring a toxic person isn’t going to get the job done. You have to be adamant in your decisions and make a promise to yourself that no matter how much they beg and plead with you, your heart mustn’t melt. If you let them in again, you will go from a healthy person to an unhealthy one sooner or later.

While cutting toxic people out of your life, make sure you strongly keep your demands on the table. You don’t even have to argue if they object to your firm boundaries. They only have two options here. To either respect your decisions or they can humbly walk out of your life. Talk to them and let them know the exit door will open if they try to disrespect you again.

3. Don’t get sucked back in to their toxic world

You’ve cut toxic people out of your life. Try not to get fooled by their “woe is me” drama. They will again act like a victim and make you feel like you are the ones who hurt them. Don’t fall for this trap. It’s manipulation when they blame you for your reaction to their disrespect.

In uplifting relationships, people apologize to each other and try to make things right when things go downhill. There will be no manipulation. Don’t nod and smile when they come back to you with a puppy face and twist the entire story. Be strong and call them out on their behavior. If they refuse to mend their ways, it’s time to leave toxic people and focus on your healing. 

4. Spend time with positive people

The perfect antidote to toxicity is positivity. After you’ve told them that you don’t want them in your life anymore, they will try to make things right by apologizing. Don’t believe them Even if you do, keep them at an arm’s length. 

When you are trying to cut off a toxic, channel your time and energy toward people you love and from whom you receive positive vibes. Spend time with your co-workers and even your neighbors, nephews, and other people in your family if they make you feel good about yourself. Make a support system for yourself that’s full of people who encourage you to become better.

Key Takeaways

  • Toxic behavior is subtle to catch. It starts mildly and can grow to an extent where it can totally devastate your peace and well-being
  • Some signs of toxic personality include always acting like a victim, gaslighting, and having heightened self-value
  • Cut toxic people out by throwing them out of your life or by maintaining distance with them 
  • Spend time with your family and make sure you build a network of people who bring out the best in you

Don’t ever take toxic human’s criticisms to heart and start to wonder if something is wrong with you. Nobody is perfect. But that doesn’t mean everyone on earth is toxic. It’s them who need to find out how to become well-adjusted people without bringing others down. With all these tips on how to cut toxic people away, we hope you get a handle on your life back.