As a result of holding onto friendships that negatively impact you, you can start to experience inner conflicts which can cause frustration, depression, anxiety and even post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Quite often, we associate post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with extremely traumatic events in our lives, but the loss of a friendship that we thought would fulfill us can also be extremely jarring and traumatic. Friendship PTSD is often caused by friendships that have ended suddenly and badly.
A toxic friendship may involve gossiping, pressuring you into things you do not want to do, or putting down your successes. Dealing with toxic friends can severely harm your physical and mental health. You may feel bad about yourself, or you might stress over how they may react. American Psychological Association.
Friendship PTSD is caused by friendships (or even lack of friendships) that have ended badly. Maybe a good friend gossiped about you behind your back. Or maybe she just stopped. Stopped returning your calls.
Is it possible to get PTSD from a toxic friendship? - Quora. In a way yes. Especially if there was a lot of arguing, drama, betrayal, or problematic people getting you involved in their issues.
As with any abusive relationship, a victim of a trauma-bonded friendship may begin to lose themselves over time. During the love bombing phase, they may have blown off other friends to spend time with their abuser. However, towards the end, it may look more like isolation and disconnection from old friends and family.
“Trauma dumping is the unfiltered sharing of strong emotions or upsetting experiences without permission from the listener.” When someone experiences any of the many types of trauma, they often feel overwhelmed and seek relief by sharing their story. Unfortunately, this can backfire.
You might even cry, too. That's NORMAL! Allow yourself to feel these strong emotions and identify them. When I've lost friends, I've noticed that I feel lonely, inadequate, and nostalgic.
Losing a best friend at a young age may feel disorienting and even traumatic, while losing a best friend as an adult may trigger a wide range of emotions. As a parent, be prepared to support your child through their grief. As an adult, be patient with yourself as you navigate a new world without your friend.
They can affect your sense of self and identity, damage your self-esteem, and even lead to feelings of depression and/or anxiety.
Those who try to maintain a toxic friendship will engage in self-gaslighting behaviors, denial, and even intellectualizing things by making excuses for their friend's bad behavior. Depending on how bad their toxic behaviors are, it might be time to distance yourself from the person or even end the friendship.
“A friendship can be toxic when one person makes the relationship all about them,” says Degges-White. “If they only call you when they need something, they aren't leaving any space for you or your needs.” HOW TO DIAGNOSE IT: Trust your gut—you'll know if your friendship isn't equal.
Emotional Trauma Symptoms
Psychological Concerns: Anxiety and panic attacks, fear, anger, irritability, obsessions and compulsions, shock and disbelief, emotional numbing and detachment, depression, shame and guilt (especially if the person dealing with the trauma survived while others didn't)
Situations, people, or places can trigger PTSD symptoms and bring back feelings of the traumatic event. Examples of external triggers include: anniversaries of trauma. seeing a person connected to the traumatic event.
They make us feel valued, understood, and connected to something larger than ourselves. Our friends introduce us to new experiences and ways of being. Good friends are there to cheer our successes and console us when things go badly. Unlike [familial relationships], these ties are totally volitional.
The loss of a close friend can spiral us into depression with feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, and helplessness. If we believe we have enough friends to meet our needs, we cope with stress better. The loss of a friend shakes that belief and rocks our emotional foundation (King, A. R. et al., 2016).
Research estimates that social interactions extending over 3 hours can lead to post-socializing fatigue for some people. Social exhaustion doesn't happen overnight. Being mindful and in-tune with your mental health can help you recognize early signs and prevent burnout later.
Even once you've determined that a friendship was toxic, it's normal to feel grief, says Alderson. “It's OK to be sad about losing a friend,” she says. “Support from other friends, family members, or a partner can help at a time like this.”
Give some affection if wanted.
If you're in doubt, ask if they'd like a hug or for you to hold them. If they don't want physical touch, don't do it. Ask, "Mind if I hug you"? Your friends or family may want physical touch more than strangers, so make sure you don't make the person more uncomfortable.
While venting can be a natural part of working through our negative emotions, does it become toxic at a certain point? It turns out, it can. And that's when venting becomes trauma dumping — the act of oversharing your emotions in a way that becomes harmful to the other person.
You're intentional about what you share and aware that you're venting. You may say something like, “Can I just vent for five minutes?” Trauma dumping: With trauma dumping, you overshare difficult or intimate personal information without the other person's consent or during inappropriate times.
Dissociative amnesia is associated with traumatic events because you may forget or block out a memory from the trauma. For example, if you were sexually assaulted, you may not remember specific details of the assault.