Toxic people can be found everywhere around you. They can hide behind the mask of a true and loyal friend. They can hide behind the mask of a close and helpful co-worker in your workplace. And they can even hide behind the mask of a sweet and loving family member.
Unfortunately, most toxic individuals don’t come with warning labels the way toxic substances do. A lot of them appear very pleasant and likable in the beginning. They’re patient with and good to you.
But, the truth is that toxic people are very manipulative and deceitful. So, getting you to like them is just one of the many manipulation tactics they have in store.
Once a toxic person notices that you like them and trust them, they won’t think twice about doing everything in their power to make you act in ways that suit them and take advantage of you.
If you can’t identify when you’re dealing with a toxic individual, they can make you question your sense of reality, logic, and even sanity, and they can suck all the energy and happiness out of you in the blink of an eye.
So, if you want to save yourself from falling into a toxic person’s trap, you need to be able to recognize the most common behaviors that these people display:
Here they are:
1. They’re judgmental.
Toxic individuals enjoy putting others down. They enjoy making others feel weak and unimportant.
A toxic person will do everything in their power to find out what your insecurities and fears are. And once they do so, they’ll start pointing out your weaknesses. They can even begin listing all of your past mistakes and failures and they’ll rub it in. They’ll do all this since this is the way they boost their own fragile ego and self-esteem.
2. They’re right about everything all the time.
Even when they make mistakes and say stuff that should never come out of the mouth of someone who always emphasizes how smart they are, they’re never wrong. A toxic individual will never admit their mistakes or guilt since the last thing they’d agree to do is to take responsibility for their actions.
3. They lack compassion.
Toxic people are incapable of feeling compassion and empathy. They have no regard for other people’s feelings, needs, problems, and pains. The only person they care about is themselves.
So, even if they happen to show compassion, it’s not real – it’s fake. They’ll only show compassion if they need to get something from you.
4. They can’t hold a normal, proper conversation.
A toxic person will act bored and try to change the topic of conversation abruptly when you’re talking. Because, instead of listening to you so as to understand what you have to say, they’re only thinking about what they want to say next. Your opinions, ideas, and problems simply don’t interest them.
Interrupting a conversation abruptly is rude and annoying, but, hey, who said that toxic people have manners?
5. They want to control you.
The easiest way for a toxic person to take advantage of you and make you act in ways that suit them is by having total control over you.
Toxic people will do their best to gain your trust so that they can control your feelings, opinions, wishes, and actions more easily. Because they can’t resist the urge to control and direct other people’s lives.
6. They gossip about other people.
Gossip is vile and meaningless, but most toxic people don’t share this view. By talking behind your back, not only do they feed their weak ego, but they also manage to make you feel bad about yourself and tarnish your reputation, which in turn makes them feel superior to you and everyone else.
7. They complain all the time.
Whether it’s their health, family, love life, or career, toxic individuals always find something to complain about. They ooze negativity and they’ll stop at nothing to infect you with it.
Listening to a toxic person gripe can negatively affect your mood, productivity, and even overall health. So, the next time someone who oozes toxicity starts complaining to you about something, make sure they know you have no intention of listening to them.
