By Vedika Patel | 25th June, 2023
Discover the importance of surrounding yourself with positive influences and learn how to identify toxic relationships. Find out how to attract the right people into your life and foster meaningful connections that support personal growth and shared values.
The people we select to be in our lives are like vibrant threads that are sewn into the great tapestry that we know as life. They can influence our decisions, raise our standards, and lead us to achieve greatness. This is why, the people we hang out with matter
We are all surrounded by people the majority of the time, whether it be at school, or the comfort of a Starbucks, it's inevitable to not notice an individual. But what changes the game is whether the people you're with support you and help you do great things or undermine you.
You may not be realizing who from your circle of friends is leading to your downfall, whether subconsciously or deliberately which is why being able to identify and safely detach yourself from the negativity is essential.
Saying Goodbye To Toxicity
You might never get the hang of identifying the negative energy out of a bundle of positivity but here are some of the tips that’ll confirm your suspicions or lead you to a blissful and life-changing realization
- Notice how you and your energy tend to react around them: Negative people often drain your energy leading you to feel emotionally depleted after being around them.
- Lack of support: They’ll tend to your wounds when you experience a failure but never show a supporting hand to your goals, and aspirations or even be by your side to celebrate victories.
- Lack of accountability: They might refuse to take responsibility for their actions, or even actively deny them without letting others have a say. They could even consistently shift the blame on others
- Discouraging healthy habits: Instead of pushing you to go for the right thing, they may be encouraging you to take the easier road, and might even plant seeds in your mind like “Oh, you’ll probably never see results anyways” “That’s fake, it’ll never work out!” “Nobody is lucky enough to get a chance at that, why bother trying?”
- Sarcastic comments: As small as they might seem, the little ‘playful’ remarks at yours, or others, achievements or actions might be an early warning sign to more that’s coming. Their pessimism and criticism are not to be ignored
It's not always easy to identify the negative influences in your life, and often it requires careful reflection and evaluation of one's behavior to conclude. However, if you consistently notice these signs, it is necessary to reconsider the relationship and either set boundaries or distance yourself from said person.
How To Find The Right People??
Now after cutting off or setting clear boundaries to the negativity in your life, you may find yourself in a more isolated condition and feel lonely, wondering where you can find the ‘right’ people to befriend who won’t just drain you or sneer at your downfall.
You can’t change the people around you but you CAN change the people around you.
Positivity Attracts Positivity!
Don’t you know someone in your life who’s just a ball of sunshine? Always positive, smiling, and squealing that attracts you and everyone else to them? Well, that’s a simple way to explain why being positive is essential to find other positive people! To become more positive, you can practice self-affirmations like the following or even create your own to resonate with what you want to focus on! 1. I let go of negativity and make room for positivity in my life. 2. I radiate positivity and attract positive experiences into my life. 3. I embrace change and see it as an opportunity for growth. 4. I am deserving of self-care and prioritize my well-being.
When you have a positive mindset, you are more likely to connect with people who have a similar mindset and attract them into your life. Positive energy is contagious, and people are drawn to those who radiate positivity.
Identify Your Values
Do some self-reflection and analyze what exactly is it that you believe strongly in and find people who align with these values of yours and even share similar passions and hobbies. This gives you and the other person a common ground to communicate through and makes the talking stage a LOT less awkward!
Engage more! Participate in activities that resonate with your interests, you can do this by joining school or community clubs or even starting one of your own if your passion is a bit more on the underrated side! Through this, you can meet other people on common ground making the talking stage much less awkward!
Be Open & Approachable!
Something you might have noticed is that people who are surrounded by toxic or negative people tend to push away the positivity in their lives using the excuse that ‘it would happen now or later anyways’ or ‘they don’t deserve to be stuck with someone as bad as me’ and that is NOT what you should be doing!
Instead, be open to everyone even if you don’t see yourself and them in a long-lasting friendship. It’s always important to leave the door open for others who may be on the introverted side and/or afraid to start a conversation themselves.
Remember, building relationships takes time and effort. Be patient and allow for natural connections to develop. Focus on quality rather than quantity, and prioritize cultivating meaningful connections with individuals who support your growth, share your values, and inspire you to be your best self.
You are not alone! There are so many people who care about you and are willing to help you out with your problems, even if it's just by lending an ear. Reach out, don't be afraid to admit to your feelings. Having a toxic friend can be draining, so LET others help you, it doesn't make you smaller.
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