8 Types Of Toxic People Who Aren’t Worth Your Time
The people you spend time with have a profound effect on the person you are. Surrounding yourself with positive influences, support, and strength will go a long way to becoming the person you strive everyday to be. When you surround yourself with strong role models, coworkers you respect, and friends you admire you will be able to achieve your goals, and feel better about yourself than you ever thought possible. Is it time to leave some friendships in the past? Continue reading to learn about the different types of toxic people who you really do not need in your life. To learn more about self happiness and it’s importance check out our happiness therapy and start living a life full of happiness.
1. The Judgmental Friend
Your friends are there to build you up, not slice you down. You can recognize a judgemental friend by the way they react to your actions, behaviours, and opinions. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but if their opinion comes with a side of judgement, let it go. Nothing you do or say will ever pass this friend’s unspoken test. More often than not, the judgement friend will criticize you, or even scold you instead of being the beacon of support and positivity that you need your friends to be. They are often poor communicators and choose to focus on the more superficial indicators of self worth (appearance, occupation, age, gender, etc) instead of a person’s personality or their hobbies – in short, what makes us all unique!
2. The Envious Colleague
Ah, the envious colleague. This is the person whose congratulations on your professional, academic, or personal successes never quite sounds believable. The envious colleague relishes in your misfortune. Instead of offering a kind word of encouragement, the envious colleague thrives when you are having a difficult time. They genuinely believe that they deserve your successes more than you do, and at times they will take credit for your achievements, or diminish your success. While avoiding your colleagues and coworkers is rarely possible all together, do your best to limit your encounters with these folks.
3. The Arrogant Friend
The arrogant friend is all flash and no bang. They speak in unsubstantiated opinions and unsolicited advice. The first time you meet who you now know as your arrogant friend, you might confuse their strong personality for confidence. Of course, over time you have learned that their air of confidence is really just a thinly veiled superiority complex. The sooner you recognize this, the better! Instead of trying to argue with your arrogant friend, acknowledge their behaviour for what it is. Those adept at navigating relationships with toxic individuals know just how important it is to pick their battles. Choose instead to be the kind of person you would want to be friends with, and choose your support network carefully.
4. Negativity!
The negative friend or colleague in your life may just be the most detrimental of all. Negativity instantly saps the energy and optimism out of any situation. Whether you encounter this Negative Nancy at work or in your personal life, you know just how powerful their influence can be on any situation. Do your best to recognize the way this negative friend acts and counteract it with your own wave of positivity! Better yet, limit your time with this person all together. Instead of trying to get your negative friend to change their dreary ways, take control of your own attitude. Don’t let their negativity bring you down as well.
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5. The Constant Liar
At first, it can be hard to spot the liar in your midst. What you first thought were endearing embellishments of shared memories you realized quickly that this habit permeated every aspect of their life. A lying friend or colleague treats the truth as a fluid idea that can be omitted whenever it suits the moment. Not only is lying deceitful, but it also leads to uncertainty and insecurity. This will quickly erode any form of trust that needs to be present in both personal and professional relationships. Liars in a professional setting are arguably even more detrimental to your long term success! Resist the urge to give this acquaintance a second, a third, or even a fourth chance. Without holding a grudge, remind yourself that this type of behaviour is not usually abandoned.
6. The Gossip
From time to time we all engage in a little gossip. That said, gossip itself can be an incredibly negative action. Gossip comes from a place of insecurity, and judgment. Furthermore, it can be very difficult to separate the truth from the rumours. As a general rule, avoid those people who rely on gossip as a form of entertainment. The emotional and psychological effects of gossip can have long term effects on the individuals involved. Don’t be a willing participant in this type of activity. While gossiping within a social circle is emotionally damaging, gossip in the workplace can have a profound effect on someone’s success and even their livelihood!
7. The Bad Influence
The bad influence is always up for one more drink on a work night. They encourage you – even shame you – into doing things you wouldn’t normally do. Whether it’s breaking the law or compromising your own set of morals and ethics. What’s worse is that the bad influence won’t have your back when things go from bad to worse.
This fair weathered friend is just there for the experience, never the fall out. This friend, coworker, or family member does not respect you or your sense of self. And it’s quite possible they don’t respect themselves either. Do your best to surround yourself with individuals who seek out the best in others.
Remember that there is a difference between being self destructive and making memories! This bad infuence will absorb more of your time than you want to give them, and chances are they are totally unaware of this fact. To reduce your time with this individual, simply practice saying “no” more often.
8. The Angry Friend
The angry friend is difficult to have in your life. On any given day, we all have a dozen things that we are entitled to feel righteously indignant about. That parking ticket, the death of a loved one, the passed over promotion, the list can go on and on. However, in light of the fact that we cannot always control our environments, our reactions are the only thing we can control. Choose to react with positivity and strength, and avoid spending time with others who choose anger instead. To learn more about how you can counteract the toxic people in your life, read this article.
