Hey, thank you
for joining us here at Psych2go. References are listed in the description below
if you want to learn more^^ Are there occasional disagreements
within your family? Your sibling is driving you up the wall,
and your parents are too harsh? If the answer is yes,
no worries, you're probably still good. There is no perfectly peaceful family. In the end, you can always
count on them to be there for you... ...and you feel safe and loved. A toxic family situation, however,
is more persistent and constant. Psychological damage from growing up in this
dysfunctional environment breeds lasting stress,... ... anxiety, conflict, and fear
among the family members. Does this sound a little
too close for comfort? To find out more,
here are seven telltale signs... ...that you are indeed
living in a toxic home environment. One: You feel invisible. Having your needs neglected
by a family can be incredibly damaging... ...to your mental health
and self-esteem. It's easy to feel invisible when your parents
always act as if they're too busy for you. Or none of your siblings
can make the time to hang out with you. Nobody seems to care
or notice how you're doing, what you're feeling,
or what you have to say. Instead of communicating openly and honestly
with one another like a healthy family,... ...yours makes you feel isolated,
alone and insignificant. Two: You feel pressured. Have you ever felt
crushing guilt, worthlessness,... or even fear from not getting 100%? Did that piano recital only
land you 3rd place instead of first, and now you wonder
why you even bothered to try? Your family might be imposing
conditions of worth on you, which is a toxic behavior. A famous psychotherapist,
Carl Rogers,... ...says the conditions of worth means that
you only feel loved and accepted by someone... ...when you live up to
their expectations of you. Parents are particularly
guilty of this... While they may initially believe
they're doing it for your own good, They then escalate, setting
unrealistically high standards for you... ...with constant criticism
for every perceived tiny mistake. This is toxic.. Three: You feel misunderstood
and discarded. Maybe you've tried
to talk to them, or give what you feel are obvious signs
regarding what you're going through,... Yet, no one in your family
seems to understand you or even care to. Your feelings are dismissed... ...and nothing you're going through
is deemed important. Even though you're crying out for help,
they're not supportive. Even though you're struggling,
they remain unsympathetic and indifferent. Four: You feel like you're worth depends on
what you can give, not who you are. Are your family members only nice to you
when they want something from you? Do you know that when they act caring
they're gonna ask for something afterwards? Saying yes to these questions
is a definite red flag courtesy of a toxic family. Relatives who act this way
will often manipulate you, exploiting you for their own gain. You're nothing more to them
than a means to an end. So they'll continually take
without ever giving back. Even worse, giving in to their demands
creates a positive feedback loop-- Encouraging them to
take advantage of you even more. Five: You feel forced to be around them. Another sign of a toxic family is
if you feel suffocated simply by being around them. You come home and spend time with them
only because you feel you have no choice. If you try to make your own life easy, they'll make you feel guilty,
even ashamed for abandoning them.. Painting you as the villain. You feel so helplessly trapped
in their vicious cycle of negativity... ...that you may resort to lying,
just so you can get a breather. But getting that little break
results in a significant feeling of relief... Six: They play power politics tests
and you're the pawn. Power politics is defined as the struggle for power
through deceitful and manipulative tactics. This is common for divorced parents who use
their children as leverage against their ex-spouse... Or-- those in an unhappy marriage
who constantly fight at home. Although the toxic behavior
isn't usually directed at the children, it can still be
emotionally traumatizing for them, as it creates a disruptive, chaotic
and unstable growing up environment. Seven: You feel constantly unhappy
being around them. I know we have
our occasional bad days, days when being around anyone
even your family is difficult. That's fine, that happens
and it's not unhealthy. In a toxic familial situation,
this feeling is fairly constant. In fact, you might say it's the norm with
how you feel being around your family. They drag you down into
their overwhelming and persistent negativity. They are constantly whining
and moaning about the unfairness of life,... ...even when good things happen. They find a way
to make it a bad thing... Since they can never
let themselves be happy or content,... ...you can't either. If you're not just as unhappy,
they may resent you for it. This toxicity can build over time... ...like layered rot until the point
where the bad stuff is so unbearable,... ...you have to leave
for self-preservation. Living with a toxic family
puts your mental health at constant risk. Moving away from your family
does not necessarily reverse the damaging effects. You could be haunted for a long time... ...with some psychological scars
that might never heal without proper treatment. So, if you are struggling
to cut these people out of your life and create healthy boundaries for yourself, this is not wrong. In fact, this is healthy. You don't have to suffer in silence,
and you're not alone. Reach out to a mental health care professional,
or social worker... ...to get the help you need to protect yourself
from any future emotional damage. The first step to recovery
is simply recognizing the signs. Do any of these signs resonate with you? Do you know someone who may be in
or was in one of these situations? We hope we've helped you understand
the world around you a little better. Please like, share and subscribe
and let us know what you'd like to see next. Thanks for watching.
