Toxic people are everywhere. We all have at least one or two such people in our social circles, even though we still haven’t realized it yet. We may live with them, work with them, or even have them in our circle of friends, but they are difficult to spot. Therefore, it becomes all the more important to understand what exactly is a toxic person and other important issues related to toxic people. This week, InshaAllah, we will be focusing on toxic people, not to blame anyone or point fingers at anyone, but rather to save ourselves from difficulty and also to help us identify if we are actually being the toxic ones.

What Are Toxic People?
Toxic people over-identify and act out the parts of who they are, such as the victim, bully or perfectionist. They act from these parts trying to get their needs met, albeit in an extremely unhealthy way. It’s common for people with toxic behavior to: create drama in their lives or be surrounded by it; try to manipulate or control others; be needy (“it is all about them all the time”); use others to meet their needs (such as “narcissistic parents”); be extremely critical of themselves and others; be jealous and envious of others, bemoaning their bad fortune and others’ good fortune.

According to the experts, it’s not that the whole person is toxic. Rather, their behavior is toxic or your relationship with the person is toxic. Often the person is deeply wounded and for whatever reason, they are not yet able to take responsibility for their wounding, their feelings, their needs and their subsequent problems in life.

Spending time with toxic people can be terribly destructive.
Psychological research demonstrates that insults and criticism can be five times more powerful than positive communication such as compliments. If you want to keep your relationships flourishing, you need a lot of positive interaction.

If you surround yourself with toxic people, you can be sure to pay the price for it one day. Even minimal interaction with people who are negative can have a huge impact on your personal happiness and performance at work. That’s why you should make sure to avoid toxic people will only drain your energy and bring you down.