How does a toxic person apologize?

5. You're the only one apologising. Toxic people will never apologise for their words and actions because they can't see anything wrong with them. They feel that they are the victim and will often twist and retell what happened to such an extent that they honestly can't see an alternative perspective.

integratedway.com - 10 Signs of a Toxic Person & What To Do About It - Integrated Way

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Do you feel like you’re walking on eggshells with your partner? Do you try to do more, to do it better, all in a futile effort to keep your partner happy? Do you find that just when you think you’ve made your partner happy, he/she erupts with a new criticism, a new accusation? Do you feel like it’s your fault that something is wrong with your relationship because your partner is always blaming you? Have these critical, accusatory behaviours become a pattern – set the tone – in your relationship?

Did you answer yes to all or some of these questions? Many of us can probably relate. If there are repeated personal conflicts with the same person and it’s difficult to communicate effectively, your partner may be toxic and the cause of your relationship struggles. Being in emotionally healthy relationships enhances your wellbeing – unhealthy relationships have the opposite effect, causing stress and depression. As a result, your feelings become trapped in a continual circle of guilt and shame as you struggle to find a way to ‘fix’ things.

It’s Not the Individual That is Toxic – Their Behavior Is

A toxic person is an individual who has been wounded or hurt in the past and cannot take personal responsibility for their feelings and needs. Although the trauma probably wasn’t their fault, these individuals struggle to get past the role of “victim” and continually focus on this to get what they need by blaming and manipulating others. Creating drama in their lives is a technique used to draw attention to themselves and meet their needs. For instance, if you arranged to meet with your partner after work but had to cancel due to a work emergency, he/she creates excess drama around the situation, accusing you of “always letting them down” and “never thinking about what they want.” You feel guilty. Again.

10 Signs Of Toxic Behaviour & What To Do About It

1. A Toxic Person Focuses on Their Wants and Needs – While Ignoring Yours Toxic people can be overly critical of themselves and others. For example, have you ever been travelling on the highway with your partner and become snarled in traffic due to an accident? Rather than accepting the situation for what it is, your toxic partner shouts out “I told you we should have left earlier!” or “I told you this was the wrong route to take!” Unable to accept the situation for what it is – an accident – they continually swear, rant, and look for anyone they can blame. And all too often that person is you. This behaviour is because they’re unable to own their feelings. They’ll project their feelings onto yours and blame you rather than taking responsibility for their actions. They may not have told you to leave earlier that day at all and only thought it, but now there is a consequence for not doing so it’s you getting the blame.

What you can do about it

Remember that you don’t have to apologise, justify or try to defend yourself for an untruth. While tempting to do so (especially if you are trapped in a car) but this just plays into their drama seeking and manipulative ways. Recognise that their emotions are misplaced and try to remain neutral as much as you can in the moment.

2. They play Jekyll and Hyde

Never sure which version of them you’re going to get? One moment they’re loving and all that you wish for and the next, they’ve turned into a melodramatic ball of emotion. There isn’t anything immediately obvious to explain this change and you’re often left scratching your head as to the cause. If you straight up ask them what’s wrong, the most common response is ‘nothing’. This is another example of the toxic person being unable to take responsibility for their own thoughts and feelings. They’ve learned that by presenting these behaviours you find difficult, you will be the one to take action and improve the situation. You’ll have noticed this with their heavy sighs and grumbles obviously inviting you to ask them what’s wrong.

What you can do about it

Instead of jumping to attention and giving in to their toxic behaviour, stop trying to please them. Until they’ve learned to take responsibility for themselves and how they feel, they’re not going to change. Offer solutions they can do to help themselves and that’s it. Walk away and leave them to it if you have to. You are not responsible for making them feel better, and if you have upset them or done something wrong, apologise, talk it through and then move on.

3. You have to prove yourself to them

Fed up of hearing “a good son would…” or “a good girlfriend would…” on a regular basis? These comments come from toxic people who are manipulating you into choosing them over someone or something else. You’ll notice that it’s when you want to meet your friends, or do an activity without them, or even spend longer at work that the comments will come out where you’re made to feel like you’re choosing the other thing/person over them. It doesn’t matter what it is, or how important it might be to you, if you don’t choose them get ready for the drama to unfold.

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The problem here is that you’ll always have to put them first, ignore your own wants and needs and be constantly proving yourself to them. Once you start on this path, it quickly descends into a constant need to be proving yourself more and more because it feels like nothing is ever good enough for them.

What you can do about it

The only way to manage this behaviour is to put boundaries in place, insist on your own time, friends and activities, and if they just won’t accept that, you may have to consider walking away completely.

4. It’s all about their tone of voice

Sometimes it’s not what they say to you but how they say it that’s toxic. You know the kind of thing, where they ask an innocent question like “what did you do at work today?” or “did you have fun with your friends” but there’s a definite negative tone to it that makes you worried how to answer. There’s an inherent implication here, that whatever you did was somehow wrong because they weren’t there and they’re jealous of what you did behind their back, or maybe they had a terrible day and are choosing to take it out on you. Often when you question their tone they’ll snap back that they were only asking a question.

What you can do about it

Remember that you are entitled to do whatever you like, however you like and whenever you like so long as you’re not directly causing hurt or harm to yourself or others. If they feel angry, upset or jealous just because you chose to spend some time with your friends instead of at home with them, you’re not the cause of those feelings. They’re refusing to accept their thoughts and feelings and what caused them. Therapy for you both is often the only way to stop this kind of toxic behaviour from continuing.

5. You’re the only one apologising

Toxic people will never apologise for their words and actions because they can’t see anything wrong with them. They feel that they are the victim and will often twist and retell what happened to such an extent that they honestly can’t see an alternative perspective.

What you can do about it

If you feel you are constantly apologising for things, stop. Only apologise when there is a definite need to do so. When you find yourself apologising to avoid an argument or to smooth things over, those are the times you need to be recognising that it’s not your job to put things right when you’re not to blame for them. There doesn’t need to be an apology to be able to move forward. You have better things to be spending your energy on than fighting a battle where they have a need to be proven right every time. Boundaries are important here, refusing to discuss things when they’re emotional is a sensible one to use when trying to diffuse a situation without having to fake an apology. Wait until they’re calm and then talk things through.

6. They like to leave you waiting

Ever have those difficult conversations and they suddenly don’t respond? It might be by text, email or even in person, they just walk away and stop communicating with you. It’s an effective form of manipulation that a toxic person will use to make you doubt yourself and make you think “did I say the wrong thing?”, “are they ever coming back” and “how can I fix this?”

They know they are hurting you by doing this. It’s a strategy they know will make you feel hurt, vulnerable and ready to welcome back no matter what they’ve done. It may also mean that you just don’t matter to them as much as they matter to you. If they’re not willing to invest their time, energy and emotions into resolving the situation, what does that really say about the state of your relationship?

What you can do about it

You’ll need to do some soul searching here and decide if you’re really getting what you need from this relationship and if all this drama and toxicity is worth it.

7. They seem to exaggerate everything

This is one of those irritating toxic traits that can easily get under your skin because it’s such an effective form of manipulation. “You always do that”, “you never do this”, etc are common examples of this, there’s no middle ground to be found here and that’s why it can be so difficult to defend yourself against this attempt at manipulating you. They always seem to have examples to back up what they’re saying and seem to relish in using them to evidence your shortcomings and lack of interest and commitment in them and your relationship. You know it’s not true though and so you don’t have to put up with it.

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What you can do about it

Don’t try to argue back because you know you can’t win here. Call time and walk the dog, or have a bath or shower, or any other activity you can reasonably do alone to give you both chance to calm down and move on.

8. They make you doubt yourself

Toxic people have a way of making you feel guilty just for being you. One of the most common ways in which they do this is to poke holes in the way you are talking about something. Remember how they have an underlying tone when they ask you something? Well, it’s a common toxic trait for them to perceive others as behaving the same way they do/would, even when that’s not the case. So, you might be having a perfectly normal conversation when suddenly, they’re questioning how you talk and your body language. They’ll be accusing you of using a particular tone, of being overly defensive, they might say you’re sitting differently than usual because you’re hiding something, etc. It can all be very confusing and overwhelming, it just doesn’t make any sense!

What you can do about it

Remember, this is their way of turning the attention back on to them and making you prove yourself to them, so don’t fall for it. End the conversation and take some me time to

9. They’re always there for the bad times but never the good

When I say there for the bad times, I don’t necessarily mean in a supportive way. They’re there for the drama more often than not. Remember those times when you had a job promotion you were excited to share news off but they managed to deflate your happiness by telling you it’ll mean more pressure at work and less time with them? They always seem to find a way of making your good news feel bad somehow. That’s because the good news isn’t about them. They have a role to play in a crisis situation that puts the spotlight on them, but good news that doesn’t include them doesn’t afford them the luxury of creating drama unless they poke holes in it.

What you can do about it

Don’t let them dampen your spirit and cut away at your happiness and excitement. If they can’t be happy for you, go and spend time with the people who will share your moment with you in a supporting way.

10. You constantly feel judged

It’s a shared human trait to make mistakes sometimes, in fact, making mistakes is often how we learn, improve and develop as an individual. Yet, toxic people can make it feel like the end of the world and destroy your self-esteem by passing judgement on everything you do. It’s all too common for this kind of toxic behaviour to be shown in front of others. They seem to take pleasure in not only making you feel bad for an honest mistake, but to use it against you when you’re around friends and family for extra ammunition.

What you can do about it

Understanding that we all get it wrong from time to time and that it’s a normal human thing to do will help you see through these manipulation attempts and prevent them from digging away at your self-esteem. Speaking to a therapist can also help you to navigate situations like these and improve your self-confidence and ability to stand up for yourself too.

Setting Boundaries in an Unhealthy Relationship

If you’re involved in an unhealthy relationship, you can learn to set boundaries, such as:

Developing emotional intelligence to understand your partner’s difficult behaviour

Accepting that it isn’t your fault their needs aren’t being met and that they feel themselves to be a victim If you feel that toxicity in your relationship is making life difficult and want help to navigate the situation and restore your positive mental health and well-being, contact me for effective coaching and psychotherapy. I offer private, safe, and completely confidential online psychotherapy services to accommodate your busy schedule.

integratedway.com - 10 Signs of a Toxic Person & What To Do About It - Integrated Way

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