Toxic relationships can be with friends, lovers, or family members. They are draining, unfulfilling, and can be emotionally, physically, spiritually, and psychologically damaging. When you view posts from a specific account you follow on social media and you realize that you don’t want to follow them anymore, you will unfollow them. The same tactic can be used in real life with real relationships.
The Importance of Boundaries
Boundaries teach others how to respect and treat you. They are necessary to have in order to maintain a happy and healthy life. Without them, it can lead to burnout. When you have boundaries, you will fill yourself with self-respect, self-care, and self-love.
How to Set Boundaries
Whether in the workplace or in your personal life, boundaries must be set. You can set them by communicating. Start by saying no without feeling guilty, making sure you are treated as an equal, saying yes because you want to, not feeling responsible for someone else’s happiness, asking for what you want, defining your own life, and fulfilling your own needs. Telling people how you want to be treated is key to any healthy and successful relationship.
Eliminate Contact
Some people will get angry when you set boundaries. Continue to set them anyway. If you voice your feelings and the person does not listen to you and continues to mistreat you, it is okay to cut contact. This is especially true with toxic relationships in your life. Just as you would remove a specific account from your social media because you don’t want to view their posts or unsubscribe from certain e-mails that you do not want to receive anymore, you can apply that to your relationships. You can block a person’s number if you don’t want to be contacted by them anymore. You can stop spending time with people who decrease your self-worth and who do not view you as an equal.
By taking your power back and “unsubscribing” from toxic relationships, the quality of your life will drastically improve.