A relationship affects self-worth, career, conduct, and lives more deeply than one can ever imagine. So, if you’re in a toxic relationship, you need to get out of it to protect yourself, the ones around you, and the ones you have an impact on as soon as possible.

If you are in a relationship that is affecting your confidence, hampering your growth, and is overall detrimental to your wellbeing you have every right to call it off.

At the same time, it is important to differentiate between a healthy relationship with normal concerns and a toxic relationship. Once you identify it, it is also essential to figure out a way to get out of such relationships without getting into ugly fights that can lead to even more problems.

As relationships affect all aspects of a person’s life, men need to be equally equipped to recognise toxic relationships and leave them behind.

How to Identify a Toxic Relationship?

Identifying a toxic relationship can be fairly simple and done quite early if you pay attention to the seemingly trivial signs. These are the signs of a toxic relationship:

Envy

Envy in some measure is understandable. But if that envy ruins your relationship with friends, business partners, and eventually becomes the reason for controlling behavior and fights, then it is something to watch out for. This envy can turn into constant disrespect and playing down what you need in your life.

Constant Stress

If you are constantly stressed because of your partner’s behavior, be it due to lack of communication, fights, or indifference, then it is a sign that your relationship is not on the right track, and you need to communicate that with your partner.

Walking on Thin Ice

Being considerate is important, but if you have to watch yourself constantly because you’re scared of making your partner angry or sad then it is a clear sign that you’re in the wrong relationship.

Apart from the above, lying, resentment, constant fights, gaslighting and any sort of abuse which leads to lack of independence and growth are signals that shouldn’t be ignored and contribute to toxicity in a relationship

Now, once you’ve identified that you’re in a toxic relationship, it is essential to take conscious steps to get out of it.

How to Get Out of a Toxic Relationship?

Calling off a toxic relationship is necessary, but it doesn’t need to involve ugly fights and chaos. Here are a few practices that you must follow to end your relationship amicably.

Talk to your Partner

First up, it is necessary to communicate your concerns with your partner in clear terms and clear any misunderstandings you may have. These misunderstandings are often the foundational cause of disruptions in otherwise healthy relationships.

In case you see a repetitive pattern of toxic behaviors where you can’t take the relationship any further, you need to communicate how you feel, and tell your side of the story to avoid fights and grudges.

Make a Decision

Once you’ve made things clear with your partner, it is essential to make your decision and a firm one at that. Now, this is something that you can only do if you make the decision for the right reasons.

Ask yourself if you have a valid reason for the decision you are making, and analyze what circumstances led you to that decision. This will help you collect and organize your thoughts and emotions which is important as you part ways with your partner.

Share with People you Trust

Talking about a failed relationships isn’t easy. But sharing your problems with the ones you trust helps you see things through a different perspective, let out how you feel, and get valuable advice specific to your situation.

Emotional support above everything else is essential to overcoming a toxic relationship. Hence, you should certainly consider reaching out to people who are close to you. Having a strong support system is critical to moving through a rough period.

Divert your Energy

Let’s face it, broken relationships aren’t easy for anyone to deal with. So, what would you do to get rid of the pent-up energy and emotions?

Divert it to more fruitful causes to make your life better. Learn a skill that you had been putting off for a long time, get back on track with your fitness goals, eat better, or do anything that you didn’t have enough time for before.

Stick to your Decision

This might be the toughest part of breaking ties with your partner, especially if you’ve been in the relationship for a long time. But it is the most essential step towards restoring your mental health and energy.

Once you’ve talked through things, control the urge to reach out to your ex-partner, as nothing good comes out of it. Eventually, you’d need to work on getting ahead with your life and relationships and reaching out to your ex-partner repeatedly is just like taking one step back as you try to move forward.

Apart from all of the above, as you get out of a toxic relationship it is also important to work on yourself and your mental and emotional well-being so your previous experiences don’t continue impacting your life negatively.

You can do so by seeking professional help, connecting more often with people you like to be around, and connecting with the true purpose of your life through planning, self-reflection, meditation, and so on.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, it is very important to remember that a toxic relationship will never serve you and you shouldn’t feel discouraged to get into new relationships in the future. Just like that holding grudges for your previous partner isn’t good for you either.

You should also remember that a new relationship isn’t the answer to healing from your past. Getting into a relationship before you address the traumas of your previous one is detrimental to both you and your new partner. So, consider analyzing if you’re ready to get into a new relationship or not before you go ahead with it.

It is rightly said that “Sometimes holding on is more painful than letting go.” So, let go. Be it your relationship or the memories of the same. After all, self-preservation and growth are more important than any sort of relationship.