{"id":50184,"date":"2021-10-03T05:16:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-03T09:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=50184"},"modified":"2021-10-04T13:46:28","modified_gmt":"2021-10-04T17:46:28","slug":"how-to-end-a-toxic-relationship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-end-a-toxic-relationship\/","title":{"rendered":"How to End a Toxic Relationship in 5 Steps"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Do you want to know how to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/ending-a-toxic-relationship\/\">end a toxic relationship<\/a>? What empowering steps do you need to take to prepare yourself?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Deciding that it&#8217;s time to end a toxic relationship is hard in itself\u2014but how can you follow through with it? The key is to prepare and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-empower-yourself\/\">empower yourself<\/a> beforehand by finding a network of supportive people and reminding yourself why the relationship isn&#8217;t working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here&#8217;s how to end a toxic relationship in five steps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to End a Toxic Relationship<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Many authors discuss the struggle of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/when-to-end-a-relationship\/\">ending a toxic relationship<\/a>, and how to go about it. In their book <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/app\/book\/attached\"><em>Attached<\/em><\/a>, Amir Levine and Rachel Heller dedicate an entire chapter to ending such relationships. Like Glover, they note that we\u2019re likely to avoid breakups at all costs because our brain anticipates pain and loneliness in the future. And <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/app\/book\/attached\/chapter-10\">when we do break up, our anxiety may cause us to suddenly forget all the red flags and \u201crebound\u201d with our ex.<\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So how do you mentally prepare yourself to break up <em>for real<\/em>? Here&#8217;s Levine and Heller&#8217;s advice about how to end a toxic relationship:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Understand your relationship for what it really is.<\/strong> Reflect and ask questions like: How does your partner treat you? Are you afraid to let your family and friends witness this treatment? How does your partner behave around others compared to you? Does either of you feel compelled to spy on the other? Do you trust each other?<\/li><li><strong>Bolster your network of safe people <em>before<\/em> you break up. <\/strong>Be honest with those you trust most\u2014let them know you\u2019re thinking of ending things with your partner. That way, they\u2019ll be prepared to support you when you need it most.&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Do what comforts you.<\/strong> Whether you arrange to stay with a friend for a few nights or indulge in some post-breakup ice cream, do what makes you feel good.<\/li><li><strong>Don\u2019t let guilt and shame overtake you.<\/strong> If you <em>do<\/em> call your ex or even go for the rebound, don\u2019t <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-stop-beating-yourself-up\/\">beat yourself up<\/a> about it (this will simply bring out more bad habits). In the same vein, don\u2019t be ashamed of any of the emotions you\u2019re feeling. Whether it\u2019s deep pain or a sense of relief, your feelings are valid and should be acknowledged.<\/li><li><strong>Write down the reasons you left.<\/strong> If you notice yourself viewing your relationship through rose-tinted glasses, take out a piece of paper and write down why things ended. Having trouble remembering? Ask your friends and family to remind you why you left in the first place.<\/li><\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Do you want to know how to end a toxic relationship? What empowering steps do you need to take to prepare yourself? Deciding that it&#8217;s time to end a toxic relationship is hard in itself\u2014but how can you follow through with it? The key is to prepare and empower yourself beforehand by finding a network of supportive people and reminding yourself why the relationship isn&#8217;t working. Here&#8217;s how to end a toxic relationship in five steps.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":8228,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,12],"tags":[506],"class_list":["post-50184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","category-relationships","tag-no-more-mr-nice-guy","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to End a Toxic Relationship in 5 Steps - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Do you want to know how to end a toxic relationship? 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