While not every toxic relationship can be avoided, especially among co-workers or a family member, they can be managed with healthy boundaries, self-care, and awareness.

Only you can tell if the bad outweighs the good in a relationship. But if someone consistently threatens your well-being by what they're saying, doing, or not doing, it's likely a toxic relationship.

25 signs of atoxicperson

When dealing with toxic, narcissistic people, it's not always obvious whether they're aware of what they are doing. But if their behavior is consistently making you feel bad about yourself, you'll need to distance yourself from this person, or at least accept that you need to be on your guard if the person has to be in your life.

6 signs you are dealing with atoxicperson

This change in your behavior won't change them, but it can help minimize the stress of dealing with them. The important thing is that you protect yourself from the emotional abuse you receive when interacting with them:

In a toxic relationship, there is usually a lack of respect and a violation of boundaries. Sometimes, this behavior occurs without the person even realizing they're doing it.

If you choose to communicate to the person directly, you can take accountability for your feelings and try to avoid blaming them or getting defensive. Ultimately, you can't control how they react, but you can try to use strategies to avoid escalating the discussion.

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Early signs of atoxicrelationship

Assertive communication and healthier boundaries are often the keys to bringing out the best in one another—especially if you're both willing to make changes.

One study found that toxic relationships can actually worsen anxiety and stress disorders. On the other hand, healthy relationships can actually improve these conditions.

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Cacioppo JT, Cacioppo S. Social relationships and health: The toxic effects of perceived social isolation. Soc Personal Psychol Compass. 2014;8(2):58-72. doi:10.1111/spc3.12087

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With family members and friends, it's likely to be more difficult, since there may be no easy way to remove the toxic person from your life.

If you are leaving a romantic relationship, you may need to develop a support network in order to safely leave. For instance, if you are concerned about how the person will react, you may choose to speak with them in a public place. Let a trusted person know when this will take place and where you will be, so you can plan to meet up with them afterward.

By Elizabeth Scott, PhD Elizabeth Scott, PhD is an author, workshop leader, educator, and award-winning blogger on stress management, positive psychology, relationships, and emotional wellbeing.

A person who misuses alcohol or drugs may engage in toxic behaviors. Receiving treatment may help them improve their toxic traits; however, relationships that were damaged by their addiction may not be fully repaired.

Hosted by therapist Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast featuring psychotherapist Andrea Bonior, shares strategies for dealing with people who display narcissistic traits. Click below to listen now.

7 signs of atoxicperson

If you find yourself in a toxic relationship where you bring out the worst in one another (or simply fail to bring out the best), you may want to work on the relationship and change the dynamic—particularly if there are other benefits to the relationship.

Birditt KS, Newton NJ, Cranford JA, Ryan LH. Stress and negative relationship quality among older couples: Implications for blood pressure. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2016;71(5):775-85. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbv023

When the toxic person is a family member or close friend, it may also be possible to encourage that person to get into therapy, which is often needed to solve the underlying issue behind the toxicity.

Franke HA. Toxic stress: Effects, prevention and treatment. Children (Basel). 2014;1(3):390-402. doi:10.3390/children1030390

For example, someone with bipolar disorder who is in the midst of a mixed or depressive episode may have a somewhat weaker grip on emotional stability than others, and that may make that person an easier target for toxic people. However, toxic people can affect anyone.

Carly Snyder, MD is a reproductive and perinatal psychiatrist who combines traditional psychiatry with integrative medicine-based treatments.

A toxic relationship is one that makes you feel unsupported, misunderstood, demeaned, or attacked. A relationship is toxic when your well-being is threatened in some way—emotionally, psychologically, and even physically.

Umberson D, Montez JK. Social relationships and health: A flashpoint for health policy. J Health Soc Behav. 2010;51 Suppl:S54-66. doi:10.1177/0022146510383501

Some people, particularly narcissists and sociopaths, tend to feed off of other people's attention and admiration. Narcissists feel a need to one-up people and make them feel "less-than" in a quest for superiority.

Abuse can take many forms—such as psychological, emotional, and physical abuse. Abusive relationships tend to also follow the cycle of abuse. For example, the stages of the cycle of abuse usually involve:

Narcissists notoriously don't admit fault because they truly believe that they never make mistakes. In fact, they find it personally threatening to see themselves as less than perfect.

They may intentionally put you down in subtle ways or throw little insults at you if you share an accomplishment you are proud of. They also may keep you guessing as to whether or not they will be nice to you from one day to the next. Or, they may engage in gaslighting on a consistent basis.

In fact, a 2016 University of Michigan study found that "stress and [negative] relationship quality directly affect the cardiovascular system." In the long-term, all of these factors damage your health and may even lead you to develop unhealthy coping behaviors like drinking or emotional eating.

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On a basic level, any relationship that makes you feel worse rather than better can become toxic over time. Toxic relationships can exist in just about any context, from the playground to the boardroom to the bedroom. You may even deal with toxic relationships among your family members.

If it's a co-worker and the problem is proximity, consider thinking of a good excuse to get your desk moved. For example: "I'm right under an air vent that's bothering me" or "I could get more work done if I wasn't right by the printer."

Toxic relationships may be causing real damage to your self-esteem and your overall mental health as well as your physical health.

Rakovec-Felser Z. Domestic violence and abuse in intimate relationship from public health perspective. Health Psychol Res. 2014;2(3):1821. doi:10.4081/hpr.2014.1821

You may find that a toxic relationship impacts your ability to engage in self-care. You may sacrifice your normal routine—including personal hygiene, exercise, hobbies, and more—if you're constantly dealing with a tumultuous or toxic person or relationship. This sacrifice can lead to a decline in overall physical and mental health over time.

If you or a loved one are a victim of domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential assistance from trained advocates.

When determining if a relationship is creating toxicity, it's important to look at which behaviors are being displayed most frequently in the relationship.

If you have a seriously toxic friend, you may need to simply decrease the time you spend with them. If you're worried about offending them, cut back your visits over a period of months so it isn't quite as noticeable (though they may still notice).

Here's what you need to know about toxic relationships, including what makes a relationship toxic and how to determine if you're in one. You'll also find tips for effective ways to manage these types of relationships, such as going to online therapy or online couples counseling.

It's important to recognize the signs of toxicity—whether it's in you or in the other person. Here are some signs of both toxic behaviors and healthy behaviors.

It's important to note that toxic relationships are not limited to romantic relationships. They exist in families, in the workplace, and among friend groups—and they can be extremely stressful, especially if the toxicity isn't effectively managed.

A substance that brings about oxidation in other substances. It achieves this by being itself reduced. Oxidizing agents contain atoms with high oxidation numbers; that is the atoms have suffered electron loss. In oxidizing other substances these atoms gain electrons.

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But, if this kind of behavior is consistently repeated with the active intent to harm the other person, the relationship could be considered abusive.

If any of the above scenarios are true of your situation, you may want to re-evaluate the toxic relationships in your life.

If the person seeks you out to complain, you might try referring them to a supervisor, and then calmly return to doing your work. You may have to repeat this numerous times before they get the hint.

Elizabeth Scott, PhD is an author, workshop leader, educator, and award-winning blogger on stress management, positive psychology, relationships, and emotional wellbeing.

You may need to stay with a family member or friend until you figure out a new living situation, away from your partner.

In addition, toxic relationships may be more subjective than abusive ones. For instance, if you have a history of being lied to, you might consider anyone who lies a toxic person; someone else might be more willing to let it slide and give the person who lied a second chance.

If you've tried setting boundaries and the other person refuses to respect them, it may be time to end the relationship. Though it can be challenging to do so, remember that the most important thing is prioritizing yourself, your needs, and your health.

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When dealing with any type of toxic relationship, it's important to focus on your health and well-being. Consequently, if you're dealing with someone who drains you of your energy and happiness, consider removing them from your life, or at least limiting your time spent with them. And, if you're experiencing emotional or physical abuse, get help right away.

People with mental illnesses, such as bipolar disorder, major depression, or even depressive tendencies, may be particularly susceptible to toxic relationships since they are already sensitive to negative emotions.

Constant drama in a relationship can distract us from the other relationships in our lives, leading to a sense of social isolation—which may cause other issues like depression or worsened sleep quality.

Santini ZI, Koyanagi A, Tyrovolas S, Haro JM. The association of relationship quality and social networks with depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation among older married adults: Findings from a cross-sectional analysis of the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA). J Affect Disord. 2015;179:134-41. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2015.03.015

In other words, if one or both of you are consistently selfish, negative, and disrespectful, you could be creating toxicity in the relationship. But if you're mostly encouraging, compassionate, and respectful, then there might just be certain issues that create toxicity that need to be addressed.

Relationships that involve physical or verbal abuse are definitely classified as toxic. But there are other, more subtle, signs of a toxic relationship, including: