There are people in your life that fill you with immense joy. These people motivate you and give you reasons to be happy and reasons to smile. These people support you, love you and push you to be the best they know you can be. They’re the beacons that keep you focused on the positives, of not just your own life, but the lives of those around you. They remind you that there is goodness in the world. You are happy to see them, and filled with joy to share your stories with them. You look forward to spending time with them. You feel like that make you a better person. These are the people that you keep close to you, because they make you feel loved.

But, there might also be toxic people in your life. People that don’t want to see you succeed or to be happy. For whatever reason, these people don’t support you right now the way you would like. You’ll find yourself feeling down when you are around them. You’ll worry about the things you say around them, because you don’t want them to take it the wrong way. You’ll feel like you are walking on eggshells around them, constantly. Confidence around them will be thrown out the window, because they make you feel small and insignificant. Conversations with them will make you feel drained. This toxicity will dull your shine. It will make you question yourself. It will make you question their love for you.

At no point in time do you need to subject yourself to these kind of toxic people, regardless of their status in your life. It does not matter if it’s a friend, significant other or family member, if you feel like they are toxic towards you, and you find yourself feeling insignificant around them due to the way they treat you, it is okay for you to let them go. It’s okay to take time away from these types of people to find yourself again. To love yourself again. A loving friend wouldn’t purposely make you feel like crap, a loving partner wouldn’t actively make you feel unloved, and a loving family member wouldn’t knowingly make you feel less than. They just wouldn’t.

You will handle each type of toxic person differently. Maybe you’ll choose to cut contact for a little while, or maybe you’ll decide that they don’t belong in your life at all. Inevitably, the choice is yours, and yours alone. But if you need a break, don’t be afraid to take a break. It’s okay to choose your happiness. It’s okay to choose you. It will be hard, I know from personal experience. You’ll cry. You’ll wonder if you made the right choice. You will question yourself. But if you stick to your gut, and keep the toxicity out of your life, one day you’ll wake up and you’ll be happy. Their memory won’t bog you down anymore. You’ll learn to surround yourself only with the people that love and support you, the way you love and support them. You’ll be so much happier than you ever thought you could be.

I believe in you, friends.