Coping with Toxic People You Can't Remove From Your Life

[title maintitle=”” subtitle=”Toxic People at Work and Home Are The Worst”] [dropcap letter=”G”]ot Toxic people in your life? You know, the ones who suck the life out of you every time you speak to them. Or what about that co-worker who likes to gossip about everything wrong in the office? Or my favorite, the drama-filled relative who loves to play the victim role?

If you’ve dealt with your share of toxic people, then you probably have a system for deflecting their toxic behavior or removing them from your world. If you can’t think of one toxic person in your life, I say keep living, as they will show up.

Letting go of toxic relationships is the easiest and fastest way to have some peace. However, what about the toxic people you can’t remove from your life? I’m talking about your family members, co-workers or roommates.

Sure, you can switch jobs or roommates, but let’s be realistic. There are toxic people at every job. It’s not like you can quit every time you meet a toxic person. And if you live in a crazy expensive city like San Francisco, moving is not an option, especially if you’re in a rent controlled apartment.

So how do you deal with the toxic people you feel like you can’t remove from your life? Let’s break it down.

Co-Workers

Toxic people at work are like cancer cells that keep multiplying and affecting others. You could confront them, but if it goes wrong you risk messing with your cash flow. Thus at work, it is best to keep your distance from toxic people if possible. I’ve found that wearing headphones, even if you’re not playing music, is a great way to keep toxic people from killing your work vibe.

Roommates

It may not be recommended to confront toxic people at work, but roommate situations are when it’s definitely time to have a heart to heart conversation. Having toxic people at home in your safe haven from the chaos, can be challenging. If having an open conversation doesn’t work, try putting up affirmations around the house. The affirmations are positive reminders for you and hopefully can help begin to shift your roommates’ mindset, as you never know what caused that person to become toxic.

Family

Dealing with a toxic family member is the hardest type of relationship and can be a difficult balancing act. We feel guilty for wanting to cut these people out of our lives because we share the same DNA. However, you need to decide at what point is your happiness and quality of life more important than your DNA?

Every situation is different but the key to dealing with any toxic relationship is setting proper boundaries. If you don’t, you too can become that toxic person people try to avoid.