being without them and assess what the relationship actually felt like while in it, what you went through and what you ultimately want. With support and help from others, you may find that it’s better for you to move on.
4. You find yourself in another toxic relationship
If you jump head first into another relationship without giving yourself time to assess and heal from the last one, you might find that a lot of the behaviors you ran from being reincarnated in your new partner. It’s helpful to do a self-audit to revisit and analyze the toxicity your ex-exhibited so you can know how to recognize signs of those traits in someone else.
It can often be difficult to do this alone, so it would be useful to recount your experience with a therapist and let them point out the identifiers.
5. You have strong feelings of distrust
Again, if you haven’t given yourself time to recover from a toxic relationship, it’s not unusual to commit to another and expect a repeat of all the bad things from the past to occur.
After escaping a toxic relationship, individuals can often have suspicions aimed towards friends, family or lovers and interpret simple mistakes as abuse or boundary crossing.
Being aware of this overreaction can be the first step in truly healing. Although it may be difficult, speaking with a therapist, or loved one can help you manage any trust issues you may be experiencing, as well as deal with any underlying trauma that’s still there beneath the surface.
Overall, we have all experienced difficult breakups, but it’s important to understand the signs of a toxic relationship as it can have long-term negative effects if not handled with care. If you’ve experienced most of the above, it would be helpful to seek support, ASAP.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, call 911 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1(800) 799-SAFE (7233) or visit thehotline.org.
Jasmine Browley holds an MA in journalism from Columbia College Chicago, and has contributed to Ebony, Jet and MADE Magazine among others. So, clearly, she knows some stuff. Follow her digital journey @JasmineBrowley.