In this day and age, there’s a lot of emphasis on being in a happy, healthy romantic relationship.
In fact, finding the key to being in a healthy relationship with a significant other is held in such high regard that people often forget that maintaining other strong relationships is just as important.
Friendships and even ties with family members, for example, are vital to one’s overall well-being as well. And, just like romantic relationships, these personal ties can be excruciatingly detrimental to one’s overall health, especially on an emotional level, if they are exceptionally toxic.
No good can come from a relationship in which one is genuinely unhappy, and if a friend or even a family member is bringing one down, or disturbing one’s overall happiness, then it might be time to let go of that relationship.
Now, I’m not saying that one should just run at the first sign of trouble. Real, long-lasting and healthy relationships require a lot of hard work to maintain, and it’s perfectly normal to run into obstacles from time to time. But it is important to know one’s limits, as well as what constitutes healthy and unhealthy in regards to a relationship, romantic or otherwise.
I remember back in high school I used to be close friends with a girl who I’ll call ‘Jenny.’ Jenny and I did everything together; if there was even the smallest opportunity to hang out, we would be on it. But, looking back, especially now since I’m older and slightly more mature, it’s easy to see how disastrous that relationship was to my health, especially on an emotional level.
Jenny wasn’t a very happy person, and that became apparent in her relationships with others, especially me, since I was considered her “best friend.” No matter what, she always made a point to make an unkind remark towards me just to bring me down to her level. And for the longest time I was completely blind to it.
I grew used to her rude comments as well as my emotional state, thinking that all friendships had their trials and tribulations and that it was normal for things like that to happen.
It wasn’t until we got into a significantly large argument that things finally ended with her and I realized that I was much happier without her. And, because I had let her go, I was forced to build new, much healthier relationships with people who brought out the best in me, many of whom I still have ties with today.
Even relationships with family members can be harmful to one’s overall well-being.
Unfortunately, I’ve had to cut ties with certain relatives due to the amount of negativity and drama they brought with them everywhere.
With most of one side of my family, every situation, no matter how small and petty, would inevitably be blown out of proportion. Fingers would point, words would be twisted and even lies would be told. I was a victim of this phenomenon, and it was simply too much for me to bear. But ever since I’ve made the cuts, I’ve been so much happier.
It’s important to realize that healthy, long-lasting relationships of all kinds require a lot of work and compromise, but it’s equally as important to realize the difference between what’s normal and healthy, and what isn’t. If one is feeling constantly down and unhappy whenever they’re with a friend, or even a family member, it’s time to cut that person out of one’s life.
After all, that bad relationship could be the one thing standing in the way of true happiness.
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