Many people describe being in a toxic relationship as being addicted to drugs — that's how problematic and controlling it can be. Many people are addicted to toxic relationships because of various factors like codependency, insecurity, or trauma bonds.
Because the familiarity of the pain feels like safety. We learned early in our primary relationships what we had to do to receive love, and often times this meant giving up our own needs to serve somebody else. The chaos, unpredictability, abuse, pain, and suffering feel safe when they were entangled with love.
Why do good people find themselves stuck in toxic relationships? Therapists often speak of something called “love addiction,” where a person craves the sense of fulfillment and validation that comes from being in a relationship, no matter how destructive.
Know that toxic relationships utilize dopamine and adrenaline and those neurochemicals are addictive and predispose humans to addiction and the destructive consequences of addiction. Like any addiction there is one ultimate solution—find a way to let it go.
An addiction to a person involves obsessive thoughts about the relationship, feelings of hope, anticipation, waiting, confusion, and desperation. Addictive relationships are toxic and very powerful. Healthy relationships do not involve constant drama and continual feelings of longing.
'Over time confidence, spirit and resilience ebb away, leaving you feeling downtrodden. So when the time does eventually come to try and break out of a toxic relationship it is especially hard, finding the strength to overcome your own personal shame and facing up to those friends to admit how difficult life has been.
Toxic relationships can have a significant impact on an individual's mental health. The harmful behavior in a toxic relationship, such as criticism, belittling, manipulation, and control, can cause emotional distress, leading to mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem.
Toxic relationships can severely affect mental health, often leading to a decline in self-esteem, energy levels, and overall happiness. Constant exposure to toxicity can generate feelings of insecurity, as victims frequently question themselves and navigate the relationship with caution.
Researchers have scanned the brains of people who are madly in love and found a heavy surge of dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain's reward system that helps people feel pleasure. Dopamine, along with other chemicals, gives us that energy, focus, and obsession we feel when we're wild about someone.
We become addicted to what gives us pain, like a toxic relationship, and subconsciously search for that next 'high'. We search for that experience of neurotic pain from our past, search for the old companion we'd found in self-loathing as we were children.
Although it's not true that too much love will kill you, it can lead to unhealthy—and at times damaging—dynamics between partners. For example, love may cause obsessive or controlling behaviors in some cases. You may also reach a point where your needs go unmet because you're so focused on your partner's needs.
Toxic relationships can damage our mental and physical health, yet some people find themselves repeatedly drawn to toxic partners. Become aware of your relationship patterns, build self-esteem, and get help when needed. You can break free from toxicity.
The stress and turmoil of a toxic relationship can bring out behaviors that you may not indulge in otherwise. The parts of your personality that you don't necessarily like will come out because you're constantly feeling stressed and negative.
This trauma can often lead to feelings of depression, anxiety, disordered eating, low self-esteem and self-harm such as cutting. Mental health and traumatic triggers are directly linked to toxic relationships and vice versa.
The negative impact of toxic people on mental health is well documented. People who are exposed to toxic behavior are at a higher risk for developing mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Admittedly, no relationship can be completely tension-free, but toxic relationships are different than just difficult relationships. Toxic relationships make you feel undervalued, misunderstood, demeaned, even abused. At its core, a toxic relationship is abusive and can damage your mental and emotional health.
Toxic relationships can take a toll on your emotional and mental health, leaving scars that can last long after the relationship has ended. While the end of a toxic relationship can bring a sense of relief, it's important to recognise the signs of trauma that may persist after the relationship is over.
It's not just hard to breakup safely, it's also hard to escape the cycle of control. People in abusive relationships often attempt to break up with their partner several times before the break up sticks. On average, a person in an abusive relationship will attempt to leave 7 times before finally leaving for good.
People are often stuck in unhealthy relationships not due to lack of awareness but because the truth is buried underneath fear. For many, the fear of being alone and low self-worth are powerful motivators for remaining in relationships past their expiration date.
Going through with this thought can be cardinal to serving the relationship with a new life. Fixing a toxic relationship is everything but easy, but with the right perseverance and driven efforts possible from both parties it is quite possible to reach a positive result over time.
Even once in a healthy relationship, the new dynamic can seem unfamiliar. “After an individual exits a toxic relationship they often can find themselves reacting to new relationships with patterns or suspicions,” Naphtali Roberts, a marriage and family therapist, told Bustle.
Toxic love: Trying to change other to own image. Love: Relationship deals with all aspects of reality. Toxic love: Relationship is based on delusion and avoidance of the unpleasant. Love: Self-care by both partners; emotional state not dependent on other's mood.
Our mind loves what is familiar. If we've grown up in unstable environments, then we're not familiar with stability. If we've spent years being manipulated and gaslighted, then we're not familiar with peace and freedom. As a consequence, we gravitate towards chaos.