The Importance of Removing Toxic People From Your Life With Chronic Illness

Loved ones. We all have someone we care deeply about. However, there are circumstances where love just isn’t enough. You can give and give until you are drained dry like a desert. No moisture left to nurture your own need for self-love hydration.

 

Everyone needs to rid themselves of toxicity. No one, and I mean no one, deserves to settle. If you struggle with chronic illness, however, you literally can’t afford the energy a toxic person or situation requires. We can barely get by as it is on the rough days. Of course, we still can love someone, but if they’re dredging us, it is not necessary to allow it to bleed us dry, ill or not.

At a certain point we must recognize a person needs to have it in them to save themselves. This may sound selfish, but we are not responsible for anyone but ourselves. A toxic person will manipulate you and meld your words into an overflowing volcano of self-doubt and the lava could reduce you to ash. This is when it’s vital to walk – even run – away. No one deserves to feel like ash. No one deserves to be melted into nothingness.

A toxic person is guilty for being toxic, but it’s important to try not to enable or tolerate the behavior either. At some point one must choose their health over trying to preserve someone else’s happiness. The agony over sawing off a toxic person is comparable to the pain I feel in my body each day, only it takes place in my heart because I expressed genuine love. But I also recognize that a ship that’s sunk won’t float again just because I’m trying to keep it sailing.

My sights are always set toward a brighter horizon, and if I can’t stop someone’s ship from sinking, no matter how hard I try, I will still aim for the sun.

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Thinkstock photo via digitalskillet.