Being alone sounds scary right? You might not want to sit down and think about all the things you’ve been running away from by surrounding yourself with other people. In an effort to place yourself in an environment full of love and care it can be easy for toxic people and habits to slip through the cracks. Even if friends don’t always start off toxic, they could be unknowingly feeding an unhealthy habit. Learning to be alone can be a challenge but it’s way better than receiving fake attention on a daily basis.
Relationships Can Be Overhyped
Sometimes many people can get lost in the concept of having a relationship. They have been primed to believe that you must have a lot of friends and/or a romantic partner to really feel whole. Psychologist Daniel Marston, Ph.D., says there is an unrealistic expectation that because we are categorized as a social species that we must place an intense emphasis on forming relationships. While conducting some research, Dr. Marston and another colleague found that having deep intimate friendships is not vital to your social survival. They concluded that people do need to interact with each other but going beyond a basic level of connection is not necessary.
Sometimes Being Alone Is Good
Alone time can be vital to your personal development. When you’re alone you get to focus on the things that are important to you. You get time to reflect and become one with yourself, which you can sometimes see in people who are seen as “too quiet” or “friendless”. “When people cannot make friends, they often think very negatively about themselves, even if they have reason to be very positive about other aspects of their lives,” Dr. Marston says. However, Marston says that there’s a difference between choosing to have fewer friends and having true difficulty making and keeping friends.
Toxic People Only Care About Themselves
Toxic relationships just aren’t worth catering to because there probably won’t be equal energy given. According to Clinical Therapist Ann Smith, toxic people don’t support you, constantly disappoint you, take while you give, and can ultimately end up bringing out the worst in you. They enter and maintain relationships on a level that they see fit—without considering your feelings. With these types of relationships, you can usually tell when your needs are not being met. In this case, you might end up feeling as if you’re better off on your own anyway.
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