Removing Toxins and Toxic Shock Syndrome

Today's theme is about Toxic People and those people you encounter every so often who always know how to poison your mood.

Today was one such day.....

I won't go into details of the circumstances surrounding my detox moment, as those are really not the issue.. but I will go through what I call "Toxic Shock Syndrome".

No I don't mean the nasty infection caused by Tampons, I mean the mental and emotional aftermath from interpersonal relationships that become poisonous to your soul.

I have had enough abuse dished out at me through out my life to easily sniff out a toxic person... a broken person who likes to whip out their bag of toxic baggage and inflict enough to be civil but enough to also be fatal.  But I am still learning to be brave, strong and mature enough to know when to say NO MORE!

Today.. I encountered a toxic person.. since meeting them online I have maturely ignored many things they wrote.  I held my tongue from engaging in defensive conversations.. Or I would write my thoughts and feelings down in a Venting fashion and then bin them without publication. 

Some days I had civilised conversations which gave me hope that things would be better, but then other days I would have interactions that would be a battle of wills... and today was one of those days....  Today was the last straw for me.. .. and I let go of that negative person once and for all with No apology and no regret.

Toxic Shock Syndrome is the time during the difficult encounters and after the events when you dwell and agonise over what to do.. Do I cut that person off.. Do I "fluff myself up" like the cat and continue to defend myself.  Then the self doubt kicks in.. Am I over reacting.  Is it MY problem.  

For me I have been getting huge amounts of self confidence and TRUST in myself.. I have finally decided its only ME who can choose the path of my life and happiness.

Its when you hit the self doubt stage that you need to STOP.. put on some meditation music and listen to your soul..   

We all have encounters with people who rub us up the wrong way.. and not all of them are Toxic to the point of needing to erase them from our life.. but for me.. TODAY... I knew it was time..  

Whist looking for inspiring graphics to go with my blog post I found this great article written by dotJenna called 100-traits-of-toxic-person  I think its awesome and really helpful and I think its ok to know people with a few of the traits.. we are all guilty of having TOXIC moments.. its what makes us human..   dotJenna concludes her list with this helpful advice:

"If you suspect that someone is toxic, chances are, you're right. The best thing to do is to go with your gut and trust your intuition. Ignoring your intuition can leave you in a state of confusion. Toxic people are good at playing on your emotions, making you feel ashamed, guilty or obligated to let them treat you with disregard. Don't let that happen! You are a worthwhile person and you deserve to be treated as an equal in ALL RELATIONSHIPS. Don't settle for less. Put up your boundary and pull back or permanently away."

Today I choose to LISTEN to my intuition.. 

I hope that my friends and nearest say of me that I am a Healer, a Giver, a Doer, Appreciator, Cheer Leader, Affirmer, Life Giver, Generous, Fun and Friendly. 

If I can be the essence of an Anti-Oxidant  I think I am on the right path.

Final sharing from dotJenna's blog

Relationship Spring Cleaning 

Do an overhaul of your relationships, a "Spring Cleaning" if you will. You will find that you're not really missing anything if you walk away from a toxic person. Here's an excerpt from Cheryl Richardson's book,"Take Time for Your Life."

Since soulful connections require an investment of time and energy, you'll want to choose the people you spend time with wisely. To determine whether a relationship drains you or fuels you, ask yourself the following questions.

1. Write down the name of a person in your life.
2. Am I able to be myself with this person? Do I feel accepted by him/her?
3. Is this person critical or judgmental of me?
4. Does the relationship provide an even give-and-take exchange of energy?
5. Do I feel upbeat and energized when I'm around this person, or depleted and drained?
6. Does this person share my values? My level of integrity?
7. Is this person committed to our relationship?
8. Can this person celebrate my success?
9. Do I feel good about myself when I'm with this person?