The internet is full of articles and first-hand experiences of people who fell victim to dating someone who displayed toxic behaviors. What about when you start to notice toxic behaviors in yourself? People glorify staying in relationships, come hell or high water, but what about when it is healthier to go your separate ways? Sometimes, truly loving someone means walking away, or distancing yourself from them so you can address your own toxic behaviors that have manifested within your relationship.
Self-awareness is a rare, but admirable trait that many people aren’t encouraged enough these days to develop. Maybe it’s human nature to always focus on being the victim. Society seems to welcome victim mentality with open arms. The thing is, if you are constantly analyzing situations with victim mentality, you will never grow.
Sometimes, it is necessary to take a step back, look at yourself, and try to determine your own contributions to the deterioration of some of your most significant relationships. Is there a pattern? Could you possibly better yourself in any areas of your life to prevent certain events from repeating themselves in future relationships?
It requires immaculate strength to be able to admit that you might actually be the bad guy. It is okay to walk away, even when you love your significant other more than anything in the world, for the sake of bettering yourself and preventing the continuation of exposing them to your shitty behavior. Sometimes, the noble thing to do is to walk away from the ones you love most so you can work on yourself.
Loving the person you are with is not enough of a reason to stay with them and make them miserable. Sometimes, your love cannot be measured by your presence, but rather, by your absence.
You know the old saying:
If you love something,
