Over time, you might have developed certain habits or tendencies that have helped you get by in life. But over time, these same habits and tendencies can start to hurt you instead of helping you. While you can’t eliminate a toxic trait, you can get rid of toxic traits and tendencies that help maintain it.
That’s because they start to become embedded as part of your personality — a way of thinking and behaving that is difficult to change. If not dealt with, these traits can begin to sap your energy, block you from opportunities, and dampen your moods. And they’re called “toxic traits” for a reason: They can put your well-being at risk if left unchecked.
Read on to learn more about how toxic traits affect your life, and how recognizing them can help you break free from them once and for all
What are toxic traits?
They’re any habits, preferences, or attitudes that you might have that seem to be pulling you down at the expense of your happiness. They might include a tendency to overthink or worry, a short fuse, a tendency to feel overwhelmed or overworked, or a need for control that gets in the way of letting go.
In other words, toxic traits are any habits that you have that, over time, have become a part of your personality rather than just a normal part of your life. They’re difficult to change because they’re wired into your brain and may feel even more natural than other habits do.
Why do we have toxic traits?
Human beings are social creatures, and we evolved to thrive in a world filled with other people. We need other people to flourish because we’re not able to get all of our needs met just by relying on ourselves. We need relationships with others to feed our brains with positive social reinforcements: positive social interactions, positive social rewards, and positive social feedback.
But we can also get in the way of this important process. We can get frustrated when our needs aren’t met, and we can get overwhelmed by other people’s needs. Humans have a tendency to take on too many other people’s needs as our own, and this can leave us feeling stressed and overwhelmed.
How do you know if you have a toxic trait?
Like any personality trait, you have to recognize one in yourself. So if you find that you’re frequently experiencing a certain emotion, impulse, or behaviour, you can look to see if it might be a toxic trait. You can also ask yourself some key questions. What habits, preferences, or personality traits make you feel the way you do? If you can identify those, you’ll be a bit closer to identifying the toxic trait(s) that may be at play.
Take the 3-day detox to overcome your toxic traits
Most people will never actively work on changing a toxic trait because they don’t know that it’s possible. But if you’re ready to change, you can do it. Start by identifying one of your toxic traits. Then, map out a 3-day detox plan to help you overcome it.
To get you started, here are a few ideas for your detox:
- Cut out certain food groups or certain types of food. Eliminate processed foods, sugary drinks, certain types of alcohol, etc.
- Eliminate social media or other activities that you find yourself constantly doing.
- Eliminate activities that are draining or that are causing you to feel overly stressed.
- Cut back on certain activities that take up a lot of your time, like cleaning or working out.
Eliminate habits that help you hold on to your toxic traits
Over time, you might have developed certain habits or tendencies that have helped you get by in life. But over time, these same habits and tendencies can start to hurt you instead of help you. That’s because they start to become embedded as part of your personality — a way of thinking and behaving that is difficult to change.
If not dealt with, these traits can begin to sap your energy, block you from opportunities, and dampen your moods. And they’re called “toxic traits” for a reason: They can put your well-being at risk if left unchecked. You can’t eliminate a toxic trait by yourself. You have to work with others to help you build new habits and new ways of thinking that will complement your strengths and help you overcome your weaknesses.
Conclusion
While you can’t eliminate a toxic trait, you can get rid of toxic traits and tendencies that help maintain it. You can also change your mindset to better support your strengths and build resilience when you face challenging situations. By making these changes, you can become a more healthy and happy person.
These are just a few ways to begin to recognize and eliminate your toxic traits. These are also important ways to better yourself, and they shouldn’t be seen as a burden. Instead, they’re a way of creating a better and healthier life for yourself.
