If you're in a toxic relationship, the trauma can have immediate and lasting effects on your emotional well-being. In some cases, people in these types of relationships develop relationship post-traumatic stress disorder, or relationship PTSD.
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.
The Effects of Toxic People on Mental Health
This is due to the emotional stress and trauma that results from the toxic person's behavior. In some cases, people who are exposed to toxic behavior may develop a distorted sense of self-worth, leading to low self-esteem and a lack of self-confidence.
Toxic relationships negatively affect mental health and can have a harmful impact on your physical health as well. You are in a constant fight-or-flight mode and are unable to relax, and that can lead to anxiety, depression, interrupted sleep, and even weaken the immune system over time.
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.
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.
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.
Research has shown that toxic relationships can even lead to mental health conditions, like depression or anxiety. Toxicity can affect any relationship, whether that's a family member, friend, partner, or coworker, for example.
Toxic relationships may be causing real damage to your self-esteem and your overall mental health as well as your physical health. You may find that a toxic relationship impacts your ability to engage in self-care.
There are several reasons why leaving a toxic relationship is extremely difficult for some people. Let's see what they are: Your self-esteem has been severely damaged and you have no strength to leave. You're trying to be understanding and work on your relationship as much as you can.
Toxic people have harmful behaviors that can have lasting impacts on those around them. They are often self-centered, manipulative, abusive, and lacking in empathy. They may be referred to as narcissistic, selfish, or sociopathic.
Intrusive Symptoms of PTRS
Intrusive symptoms are symptoms related to re-experiencing trauma, including: Thoughts about the trauma that feel like they come out of nowhere. Flashbacks or feeling like you're reliving the experience(s) in the form of images, intrusive thoughts, or daydreams.
“There is not just one incident, but different incidents over the course of time in an abusive relationship that may cause PTSD. Incidents experienced in abusive relationships can cause PTSD. These may include physical, mental, verbal, or sexual abuse.
People with toxic traits know they have them
But many people with toxic traits don't realize that their behavior impacts others. You may have toxic traits that you don't know about. Some toxic traits, like absolutism, manifest subtly.
People in toxic relationships often have a weak sense of what healthy boundaries look like. You may neglect self-care practices because you are placed in constant fight-or-flight mode. Relational toxicity can gradually build up to physical health problems as you keep all your emotions and hurt inside to fester.
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.
Unhealthy relationships can heal, but they require work that partners should be prepared to do. Connect with friends and loved ones, and remember the support you have from relationships that build you up.
Real love cannot happen in a toxic relationship.
Two people have to merge their lives and validate each other's decisions. As I'm sure you know, getting two people to agree on something can be incredibly difficult. When you're in a toxic relationship, realizing or accepting its toxicity isn't easy.
Of course, this may be a positive thing if those connections were stable, loving and secure. Less so if our emotional needs went unmet… That's why if you have a pattern of falling into toxic relationships, it could be a sign you're re-enacting old childhood trauma.
Choosing to end a toxic relationship may be the best thing, though that doesn't mean it is easy. It can be especially challenging to heal if there has been abuse or infidelity in the relationship. If you're thinking about leaving, or have recently left a toxic relationship, the next step in the process is healing.