When was a time you cut someone toxic out of your life?

[AmFest]

Originally Posted by Lodestar

Toxic people are usually people who have been deeply wounded/emotionally damaged as children. We can show empathy for someone in a wheelchair but fear those who are in an emotional/mental "wheelchair." It's because we don't understand it.

As an adult you can get your mind around that and learn to set appropriate boundaries with them. It's difficult for anyone to cause you harm unless you've already opened the door to that. You have to monitor the balance of power in every relationship you have with others and learn to recognize the warning signs. But the focus needs to come from your strength and not from their toxicity.

Not everyone is able to do that nor wants to do the work it takes to learn how to do that. So we're going to have a different approach to emotionally damaged people depending upon our inclinations.

Prefect description. The problem with dealing with toxic people is, they actually are pretty strong-minded in a way because the wound of the past is very deeply rooted in them and their character grew around this root. It takes a strong character to resist their influence.

[Mary_Moon]

Originally Posted by amylewis

I have cut several very toxic people out of my life, including family members. I won't go into the stories as that would only serve to rehash old drama, but I must say I was very happy to put time and distance between us and have them out of my life.

D.I.T.T.O.

My #1 concern is looking out for my own mental health and well-being. If I'm not healthy then I can't take care of the people around me who need me the most - my husband, my children, my elderly and dying mother and my disabled brother. I don't have time nor patience for drama and games and make a point of avoiding those who stir crap up whenever possible.

[purplepanini]

I cut off several friends from my life. They were all toxic in varying degrees.
1st one was a girl who was obsessed with her looks and had incredibly low self esteem
I was overweight back then and was attempting to lose weight by eating healthier, etc. She couldn't bear the thought of her ugly fat friend no longer boosting her own self esteem, so she attempted to sabotage my diet several times. She also made lots of backhanded compliments "you have a lovely personality. it's a shame about your face." and constantly required attention and coddling for her self inflicted emotional issues. I am a stressed out student trying to pass math class, not a paid therapist. Get some help, *****. So, I kicked her to the curb. Good riddance.
I also had a group of friends who turned against me-one of them was particularly passive aggressive and self centered, though not malicious as the first girl i cutoff. She had a boyfriend who she would passive aggressively rant about, and would not accept anyone else trying to change the subject. She had only talked to me when she wanted someone to rant to. Before a certain point in our friendship, I had fully supported her in her rants. When she realized that I wasn't going to be her cheerleader, she got angry. Being the passive aggressive person that she is, she acted nice to my face and then turned all of my (and her) friends against me. To this day, I still wonder how she even has friends in the first place.
I don't have any real friends. But this is high school, where most people reach their peak in nastiness. I'm also going to college soon, thank god. Maybe I'll meet some truly mature people there.