Unhealthy toxic friendships
Recognizing harmful relationships
Gavie Valerio
Issue date: 3/31/08 Section: Opinion
Finding a good friend these days seemingly begins to get more complicated while maintaining the friendship proves just as difficult.
This dilemma continually presents itself as a result of friendships spiraling into toxicity.
Toxic friendships makes you feel incompetent, constantly criticized, used and emotionally drained.
Like romantic relationships, these types of friendships are often hurtful and tough to leave.
Though "breaking up" with a friend may be heartrending and unbearable, continuation of the friendship ultimately becomes health hazardous.
Independent.ie reported on a recent study published in the Annals of Behavioural Medicine that found participants' heart rates and blood pressures increased when they saw an "ambivalent friend."
These poisonous relationships also harm your mentality.
Toxic friends could cause you to feel stressed, depressed, livid or even trapped. When people have been friends for an extended period of time, ending the friendship could not even seem like an option. In an article on Cbsnews.com, Charles Figley, professor and director of the Psychological Stress Research Program at Florida State University, said one characteristic of a toxic friendship regards believing you are unable to extricate yourself from the relationship due to feeling entrapped or taken advantage, leading to the conclusion that the problem cannot be resolved.
Detoxifying your friendships by recognizing the toxic elements, and ask yourself questions about the relationship.
Associatedcontent.com poses these questions to determine the signs associated with poisonous friends: How do you feel after spending time with your friend? What do you get out of the friendship? Does your friend treat you the way you want to be treated or take advantage of you? Do you trust your friend, and is there loyalty?
If most answers result in affirmations, consider ending the friendship. If still you feel unsure after answering the questions, then observe your friend for certain behaviors..
This dilemma continually presents itself as a result of friendships spiraling into toxicity.
Toxic friendships makes you feel incompetent, constantly criticized, used and emotionally drained.
Like romantic relationships, these types of friendships are often hurtful and tough to leave.
Though "breaking up" with a friend may be heartrending and unbearable, continuation of the friendship ultimately becomes health hazardous.
Independent.ie reported on a recent study published in the Annals of Behavioural Medicine that found participants' heart rates and blood pressures increased when they saw an "ambivalent friend."
These poisonous relationships also harm your mentality.
Toxic friends could cause you to feel stressed, depressed, livid or even trapped. When people have been friends for an extended period of time, ending the friendship could not even seem like an option. In an article on Cbsnews.com, Charles Figley, professor and director of the Psychological Stress Research Program at Florida State University, said one characteristic of a toxic friendship regards believing you are unable to extricate yourself from the relationship due to feeling entrapped or taken advantage, leading to the conclusion that the problem cannot be resolved.
Detoxifying your friendships by recognizing the toxic elements, and ask yourself questions about the relationship.
Associatedcontent.com poses these questions to determine the signs associated with poisonous friends: How do you feel after spending time with your friend? What do you get out of the friendship? Does your friend treat you the way you want to be treated or take advantage of you? Do you trust your friend, and is there loyalty?
If most answers result in affirmations, consider ending the friendship. If still you feel unsure after answering the questions, then observe your friend for certain behaviors..
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