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six ways to help your friend in a toxic
relationship sometimes relationships
don't just take a turn for the worse but
they can impose danger or even be
life-threatening
abuse and manipulative behavior can be
hard to detect which is why the victim
often chooses to stay in attempts to
normalize the situation unfortunately
this is how toxic relationships are
prolonged we understand how hard it can
be to intervene if you have a friend or
know someone who may be involved with an
unhealthy romantic part if you're scared
for that person but may be unsure of
what to do we want to offer some advice
from psych to go here are six ways to
help your friend into toxic relationship
one don't judge or criticize them for
being in the relationship even though
it's unfavorable understand that you
should still be respectful of your
friends choice to be with their partner
and that they have the right to make
their own mistakes though our first
instinct may be to act protective over
those we care about or who may be in
danger
it's complicated when your friend cannot
recognize right away that they're
walking into a fire perspective can only
be developed from understanding and
understanding from compassion your
friend will be less likely to take in
your perspective if you're judging or
criticizing their actions instead
recognize that love is hardly ever
logical and then getting swept away in
emotions is expected
to approach them gently about the
concerns you have for them it's
important to approach your friend gently
about your concerns because you don't
want them to feel upset or smothered
chances are when you act out of line
your friend will most likely confide in
their partner and their partner may
manipulate your friend believing that
you're jealous or insecure in reality
you'll only be helping their partner
obtain more power over your friend when
you talk to your friend choose a quiet
and comfortable environment such as
going for a walk in the park or eating
ice cream at the beach before delving
into difficult conversation we
understand how intimidating it can be to
bring up the topic but with enough heart
and understanding it can steer in the
right direction 3 give your friend a
boost in their self esteem let them know
that they are loved Stephen Chbosky
author of The Perks of Being a
Wallflower writes we accept the love we
think we deserve sometimes I think we're
afraid of letting someone in who
actually treats us right because all
we've known is pain disaster and
destruction how do you even begin to
tell someone that they deserve more than
they've got when they've never been
exposed to that kind of love you can't
just expect them to know what a healthy
relationship is instead you can lead
them there and show them what it means
help your friend build up their
self-esteem and let them know that you
love them encourage them to be kind to
themselves listen to their fears and
needs and show them they're capable of
great things
or
tell them about your past experience and
unhealthy relationships if you've been
in an unhealthy relationship before it
let them know why it didn't work and why
it had to end let your friend know that
you were exactly where they are right
now and that the signs weren't always
obvious and sometimes you may have even
made the same excuses for your ex's
manipulative or abusive behavior you're
lucky if you end up marrying your best
friend and they're your first and only
relationship partner but usually it
takes a couple of tries to find someone
who's good for us the best thing about
failed relationships though is that they
make us wiser lovers by sharing your
lessons with your friend that's when
their perspective can shift and start to
redevelop as well 5 be honest and
checking on them often you've already
recognized that your friend needs
support getting out of their toxic
relationship don't distance yourself or
give up altogether because your friend
may not heed your advice they may not
see the signs that you've seen but that
doesn't mean that they won't down the
road please don't lose hope your friend
needs you now more than ever so be
honest tell them that you care about
their safety but they may be making
excuses but you're not this may cause
your friend to feel resentment towards
you and arguments may even erupt from
your disagreements but your persistence
can save their life
six if things start to get out of hand
seek a professional first and former
friends family about the situation if
they aren't already aware of it the more
support your friend has the better if
things begin to get out of hand and you
notice your friend is in danger talk to
a professional such as a guidance
counselor or a psychologist
we hope things don't have to escalate to
this level but if your friend needs
immediate assistance it's best to call
police for help
trauma may follow and it takes more than
just time for someone to heal from toxic
relationships let your friend know that
there are resources they can turn to and
most importantly continue being there
for them they're going to be scared hurt
and confused but let them know that they
don't have to face those emotions alone
do you know someone who's in a toxic
relationship we understand how hard it
can be to watch them struggle and the
challenge of intervening please share
your story with us by leaving a comment
down below hey everybody I just want to
give a personal thank you video for you
guys for always supporting psych to go
and making this all possible for us our
vision is to make psychology as
accessible as possible so that it
promotes self-awareness and it helps you
guys grow however we want to make more
content for you guys and would love your
support and buying one of these
bracelets from our partner intergroup
Alice check out the bracelet it's pretty
cool and it even includes Pluto the link
to purchase will all be in the
description below and I hope you guys
have an amazing day bye