Simple Steps Towards Healing After a Toxic Relationship
Most people are involved in a toxic relationship at one point or another in their lives. Toxic relationships are relationships that leave one feeling emotionally drained and spent. These relationships manifest themselves in different ways such as violence, infidelity, controlling behaviors, excessive jealousy, gaslighting, love bombing, and signs of disrespect. Some usually never notice these signs until it’s too late making it critical to assess your relationships to ascertain if they are good for you or not. If not, the decision to leave such a relationship can be the best thing for you, but this may not be so easy. The healing process is different for everyone and these are some of the best ways to fully recover.
Avoid Contact with Your Partner
This may be a huge ask especially if you have spent a lot of time with your partner and had a lot together. This huge task is also a huge step in freeing yourself from the shackles of those narcissistic characters. It is important to give yourself some time alone and avoid any kind of communication with them. Do not call, text, or email them no matter the urge. You can also unfriend them on Facebook, block their Twitter feed and resist the urge to look them up on Instagram. If situations were dire, you can also cut contact with their family and friends. If kids are in the picture, communication is inevitable. You may keep it simple and casual but there are methods of handling a toxic partner with kids involved.
Practice Self-Care and Rediscover Yourself
This is the time to be selfish and there is nothing wrong with that. After a gruesome experience with a toxic partner, it is important that you get to focus on yourself. They may have made you forget who you are and what you were before. Make extra time for yourself and do things you truly want to do. Prioritize your happiness by doing things that make you feel fulfilled. This can be watching a movie or a football match, listening to music, writing codes, reading a book, or whatsoever. It is all up to you.
Surround Yourself with a Strong Support Group
You may need time alone for yourself but this doesn’t mean you are alone in this by yourself. There may have been a lot of negativity in a toxic relationship and you can counter this by surrounding yourself with people who have a bright and positive presence in your life. The support group can be family, friends, or even therapists as long as they understand your ordeal. As scary as the experiences may have been, always remember you have people who have your back. You can have dinners with them, go out to parks or events with them, or just relax together. Another advantage of support groups is that they reduce the urge to contact toxic partners.
Be Patient
The road to fully healing may not be short and may not be that smooth. the connections and emotions may still be there and sometimes you may feel like you need your toxic partner a lot regardless of what you have been through. You have to warn off these feelings no matter how long it may take and just focus on yourself. Memories of them may still haunt you but those fade with time. You just have to be patient and believe in yourself. The storm will soon be over.
Give Love Another Chance
This may be an unorthodox step but it is a step in the right direction. Sometimes the best way to heal from something toxic is by replacing it. Having been in a toxic relationship doesn’t mean there is no Mr. or Mrs. Right out there for you. Get back in the game and you may find someone way better who will make you feel appreciated and loved more than how you had felt in your previous relationship. But don’t rush into things as you may find yourself in another toxic relationship. Make a plan for yourself and think things through before getting into another relationship. You can ask for advice from your support group or read helpful articles like twin flame blog.
Conclusion
Leaving a toxic relationship isn’t the end of life, in fact, it is the beginning of something better. You need to embrace the change and things will surely get better with time. It will reach a moment when the toxic relationship will be just a faint memory in the back of your head.