Never let the wrong people and situations into your life. Who has never had the wrong person in their life? Or a habit that becomes a bad habit, a situation that becomes a burden, an obsessive thought that causes a lot of suffering.
It has happened to everyone. Because we humans, compared to other animals, are masters at hoarding what we don’t need at all.
We fill our lives with people, objects and situations that do not help us feel better or grow. This is precisely why we get involved in toxic relationships that ruin our days and destroy our mental health.
Toxic relationships prevent you from being the best version of you.
Maybe we do it to try to fill inner voids. Maybe it’s because we’re afraid to be alone with ourselves, and so we seek some solace in abundance.
No doubt, we think there is no downside to this behavior. It seems to us to be something of little importance.
Unfortunately, this is exactly how we become worse people than we could be. Immersed as we are in the confusion of “so many things,” we lose sight of what really matters in life, the essentials that certainly make us serene and, very often, deeply happy.
The importance of the “existential diet”
If you want to grow as a person and have a good life (or at least a conscious life, where you are in control) you must start paying close attention to what I call the “existential diet”.
Everyone knows how important our diet is, both for the body and for the mind. However, diet is not just what we eat: we are the result of everything we consume every day.
Food, certainly. But also our thoughts, the people we relate to, the objects we accumulate, the habits we develop, everything we see, hear and deal with.
If you feel you have a toxic existence, it is probably because you live in toxic relationships. With people, with objects, with your environment, with yourself.
The existential diet is the sum of all the elements that make up your daily life. We tend to give it little importance, but it is what determines the quality of your existence.
Changing your existential diet means changing your life. To do this, however, it is necessary to commit to living with greater awareness. Give great importance and attention to each choice, to each relationship, to each day. Above all, learn to say no.
Getting rid of toxic relationships: learning to say no
Every day, every one of us has opportunities. This prospect excites us, but we often fail to realize that not all opportunities are good ones.
In fact, most of them are a source of stress and more problems. How many times have you said yes to someone and regretted it soon after? Well, the next time you are offered an opportunity, think about it.
If you’re in your comfort zone, it’s a great idea to start saying yes. But if your life is full of problems, toxic relationships and unresolved issues, you should learn to say no. In the latter case, you don’t need to say yes. Because in the latter case you don’t need more, you need less. You are not looking for something to add, but something to get rid of.
How to learn to say no: the 3 questions method
There is a very simple but effective method to learn to say no and live more consciously. Before any opportunity, always ask yourself these 3 questions:
- Is it necessary?
- Will it help me grow?
- Will it make me happy?
If the answer to all three questions is no, then you don’t need it. Realize that this is not selfishness, it is self-love. It is the antidote to toxic relationships and is the basis for a peaceful and balanced life.
