6 Signs You’re Living in a TOXIC Environment

Are you in an environment that is so dysfunctional they become toxic? A toxic family is one that thrives on behaviors and relationships which infiltrate negativity into every part of your life. Becoming detrimental to mental, emotional, and even physical health. Here are a few telling factors of a toxic environment.

We also made a video on the signs of a toxic family:

DISCLAIMER: This video is not meant for diagnosis, treatment, or personally attacking anyone. This video is not made to belittle anyone who may display or relate to these signs, but rather to understand and bring more awareness to the topic! If you or someone you know may be struggling, don’t hesitate to seek professional help from trusted professionals. If you have experienced emotional or physical abuse, the following post could be potentially triggering. There is also a list of hotlines in the box below for you or a loved one to use for seeking help for abuse.

If you relate to this video, we have also left a list of hotlines below you or a loved one can use to seek help for abuse.

Resources:
National Child Abuse Hotline (US and Canada): 800-4-A-CHILD (800-422-4453)
National Domestic Abuse Hotline: 800-799-SAFE (800-799-7233)
TTY: 800-787-3224
Video Phone for Deaf Callers: 206-518-9361
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-TALK (800-273-8255)
TTY: 800-799-4TTY (800-799-4889)
Crisis Text Line: Text HELLO to 741741 (US and Canada) or 85258 (UK)
National Runaway Switchboard: 800-RUNAWAY (800-786-2929)

Writer: Syazwana Amirah
Script Editor: Rida Batool
Script Manager: Kelly Soong
VO: Amanda Silvera
Animator: Zyan Méndez (@tomboi.studio)
YouTube Manager: Cindy Cheong

REFERENCES
Bean RA, Bush KR, McKenry PC, Wilson SM. The Impact of Parental Support, Behavioral Control, and Psychological Control on the Academic Achievement and Self-Esteem of African American and European American Adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Research. Published online September 2003:523-541. doi:10.1177/0743558403255070
Cory, T. L. (2021, March 30). Defining Toxic Relationships: 8 Types of Toxic Relationships and Their Signs. Retrieved April 23, 2021, from www.healthscopemag.com/health-scope/toxic-relationships/
Hutchinson, T. (2020, June 22). To estrange or not TO Estrange: Toxic family dynamics. Retrieved April 23, 2021, from www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-pulse-mental-health/202006/estrange-or-not-estrange-toxic-family-dynamics
Jack, C. (2020, June 01). 7 signs of a family that’s turned toxic. Retrieved April 23, 2021, from www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/women-autism-spectrum-disorder/202006/7-signs-family-thats-turned-toxic
Jack, C. (2020, October 26). 5 ways Toxic families rely on Gaslighting. Retrieved April 23, 2021, from www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/women-autism-spectrum-disorder/202010/5-ways-toxic-families-rely-gaslighting
Kakihara F, Tilton-Weaver L. Adolescents’ Interpretations of Parental Control: Differentiated by Domain and Types of Control. Child Development. Published online November 2009:1722-1738. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01364.x
Mancao, A. L. (2020, March 25). How to set healthy boundaries with parents (and what that looks like). Retrieved April 23, 2021, from www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/setting-healthy-boundaries-with-parents#:~:text=Setting%20boundaries%20with%20parents%20look,clear%20on%20what%20you%20need

---

---

Be Happy And Forget About Your Stress

One of the worst parts about stress is that it can arrive in many forms and show up at any time. Just when you think things are going well, you can enter into a bad situation and stress will piggyback right in on it. If you have problems with stress, these tips may be able to help you get rid of it.

Take time for a mini self-massage. Taking the palm of your hand and simply massage it with the thumb of the other hand in a circular motion can help to relieve your stress. You could also use a massage tool to do this. Massage works wonders at getting rid of stress.

If you have been eating a lot of junk food lately, you should try cooking a healthy meal or eating a salad. This will help to refresh your body so that you can feel better when you wake up in the morning. Reducing the fat content in your body will help your stress.

Eat food that will make you feel positive about yourself and build your body. Eating lifeless and fatty fast food will stress you out. Don’t think that the food that you eat has nothing to do with the way you feel and why you are stressed. Even if you crave the sugar or fat, these kinds of foods only lead to making you feel worse.

When it comes to dealing with stress, you should consider getting a pet. This is important because not only have pets been known to decrease your stress level but also the time that you spend caring and nurturing your pet will help to take your mind off of whatever it is that is causing your stress.

One way that you can attempt to manage your stress is to make a list of everything in your life that causes you anxiety or stress. This is important because after making this list, you will be able to tackle each item one by one and work to completely eliminate all the stress in your life.

If you are very serious during the day, try to find time to read jokes or riddles online. This will make you laugh and can serve as a breath of fresh air in a stuffy office environment. Find time to laugh if you want to reduce your overall stress level.

When facing high levels of tension, think about something that makes you happy, such as the beach. Picturing the sand and the waves rolling in is a very peaceful image and will help to remind you of the finer things in life. Create positive imagery to help eliminate unnecessary stress.

Exercising is a great way to beat stress. Go for a walk or a run, depending on your fitness level, during times of the day you tend to feel the most stressed. It can also help to start your day off with physical activity as this increases the mood boosters in your brain.

Cooking is a great form of stress relief as you will be focusing on the recipe and the quality of the meal that you are creating. Follow a recipe and bake something that you always wanted to, which will help to ease any tensions you may be facing in your life.

If you’re feeling stressed out, one fantastic cure is laughter. Do something silly with your family. Throw a water balloon. Watch a funny movie or some stand-up comedy. Laughing half an hour every day can have a dramatic improvement on your overall outlook and reduce your stress immensely.

A great tip that can help you reduce stress is to make sure you give your brain enough time to unwind before you go to sleep. If your brain is still really active when you go to sleep, you’ll find yourself worrying about everything you’re supposed to do which will leave you feeling stressed.

If you feel stressed and irritable in the morning, try waking up 15 minutes earlier. It may seem counter intuitive to deprive yourself of sleep, but this will allow you to have a nice breakfast and to feel less rushed as you head out the door. Getting up earlier may also help you avoid stress inducing traffic.

If you’re stressed out often, a good way to reduce your stress is to get a pet. Playing with animals is proven to reduce stress and release endorphins in the brain, making you happier and healthier. Cats, dogs, birds, lizards, and any number of other animals can be a great way to de-stress your life.

A great tip that can combat stress is to never let yourself engage in gossip. Everyone knows that if they gossip, it’ll eventually come back to haunt them. Unless you want to deal with a difficult situation in the future, you should steer clear of gossiping at all times.

If you are feeling stressed out about things in your life, take some time to sit down and watch a good comedy. Laughter will help reduce the level of stress hormones and make you feel much better. If you cannot take the time to watch a comedy, at least try to smile for a minute.

Laugh. Laughter is one of the top stress-busters. Adults on average laugh less than 20 times a day; children, on the other hand, laugh hundreds of times a day. Is it surprising that adults are more stressed? Watch your favorite comedies, laugh at your pet, and laugh with your children. You’ll notice that you don’t feel as stressed.

For sounds that can soothe your stressful day, get a table-top fountain. The sound of running water is therapeutic in calming the mind. These fountains come in all sizes and can be conveniently placed on a table at home or in the office. So whenever you feel stressed out, just have some quiet time and listen to you mini-waterfall.

Stress has a tendency to show up when you least expect it and most certainly when you are expecting it. It’s funny that way; stress just loves to show up period. You can take control of your life, though, and fight those stressful feelings by using the tips you’ve read in the above article.