Toxic relationships are an increasingly widespread mental health issue, a threat to our coping skills in the personal and professional sphere as well as in the home, looming even larger in the wake of the pandemic.
A therapist shows us which inner resources we can tap to protect ourselves.
In a world brimming over with toxic stimuli, it’s vital to identify the non-toxic elements we should aim for to live a healthy love life. How do we identify and cultivate them? How do we steer clear of traps and situations with the potential to endanger our emotional and mental wellbeing?
Andrea De Simone, a therapist and motivator, illustrates the five pillars we need to boost our immunity. The first element to work on is self-esteem, the ability to consciously value ourselves. Motivation is the fuel of all our activities, the tool we need to turn intentions into reality. optimism, a blend of hope and trust that generates positivity, focuses on accomplishing projects, leaving behind the conditioning of bad experiences from the past. And then resilience, the ability to emerge from trauma with renewed strength, and empathy, the ability to identify with others, to acknowledge their feelings and needs without getting overwhelmed.
In learning to nourish these qualities within ourselves and to consciously deploy them as needed, we acquire the ability to cope with and survive toxic relationships, freeing ourselves from the anxiety, depression, and constant worrying they generate, to reclaim the happiness we deserve.