Growing up, my mom always told me that sometimes you would meet people in life, who were just not good for you. At a young age, I had no idea what she was talking about. How could someone not be good for you? Was it similar to how soda is bad for you? Or too many sweets? Yet, time and time again throughout the years, she would always remind me. Whenever I'd have disagreements with friends or couldn't understand why people would act a certain way around their friends, she was always there to tell me that that's just the way things work sometimes.
Toxic people seem to creep into your life without any warning. They can take many roles. A parent. A friend. A significant other. They are very often the person who you consider to be in your inner circle. At first, you don't notice their actions. You don't notice the negativity they bring whenever they're around. You don't notice the slips of comments that leave you feeling bad. How drama always seems to find its way to them. In the beginning, you just brush all of the signs off. Because they're them, they would never hurt you in any way. And before you know it, one day you notice it. You notice the way the sharp words leave their lips, targeted for anyone in the nearest vicinity. You become more aware of just how often they make you feel bad about yourself. And you realize that they're just someone you don't want to be around anymore.
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While it's something that happens often, realizing someone in your life is toxic and ultimately dropping them, isn't all that easy. In fact, it's something that sometimes you'd rather not do. When you drop a toxic person from your life, it's more than just leaving a stranger in your past. You're leaving behind a friend. You're leaving behind a person that you've shared millions of memories and jokes with. All of the movie marathons watched, the snacks eaten and the horrible sing-alongs to the songs you loved the most. And once you leave that person behind, you're left with a hole that their presence once filled.
This can or cannot be a bad thing, it's all about how you choose to make it. You can either ponder on all of the reasons why they did the things they did or why you let them stick around long enough to let them have an effect on you. Or you can take a few minutes to think about it, and then never let it effect you ever again. You can pick up a new hobby. Go for a drive. Treat yourself to some ice cream. You can no longer live in that moment, and leave it in the past...where it belongs.
No matter the way you choose to deal with the empty space that the toxic person left behind, in the end, it will become full. You will no longer think about them. You'll barely remember the millions of the complaints. You won't give them a second thought when shouting along to the song that was your favorite. There will no longer be any empty space, for it will soon be full of all of the things you enjoy. Your new favorite movies. Your favorite books. That cute boy in your Lit class. Friends who love and embrace you for being you.
The most important thing to remember when dealing with removing toxic people from your life is to not feel guilty. The sun will still shine and life will continue to go on. And after all is said and done, you will thank yourself for letting go of the toxic people in your life. Not only will you be happier, but you'll feel better too. You're no longer being pulled down by the negative weight that was their friendship. You'll be free.
