Photo: unsplash / Bradley Dunn
A much better life is waiting for you.
By Unwritten — Written on Apr 16, 2020
A toxic relationship really brings you down.
You might find it hard to believe that unhealthy relationships can lead to anything good. The truth is that the relationship problems you encounter when you're with a toxic person might make you feel helpless in the moment. But once you leave a toxic relationship, you will reap the benefits.
Here are eight surprising upsides of leaving your toxic relationship.
1. You rediscover your passions.
Toxic relationships kill your enthusiasm.
When you’re in a draining relationship, you only focus on fixing what is actually hopeless, instead of pursuing what you want.
When you finally break through, you rediscover your favorite pastimes and passion projects.
This, in turn, provides an emotional outlet and helps you move on from your relationship more quickly.
2. You reconnect with family and friends who really love you.
Unhealthy relationships cause us to disconnect from others.
But when your relationship ends, you run to family and friends and realize that they were waiting for you.
They’ve been with you all along, so don’t take them for granted.
3. You appreciate the little things even more.
Whether you’re celebrating a treat from a colleague or a text message from your best friend, you find yourself cherishing every moment of the day.
After you’ve spent so much time suffering and in pain, you now know what true gratitude means.
4. You regain your mental and physical health.
Your toxic relationship most likely affected your health.
So, as your post-relationship self-care, you focus on your mental, physical, and spiritual health.
You find yourself fighting to regain the wellness that your ex deprived you of.
Maybe you head to the gym and eat more healthily.
Perhaps you simply put yourself first and enjoy relaxing again.
Regardless, you find that as you focus on your health and wellness, you start to feel whole again.
5. You enjoy your newfound independence.
You once saw the single life as lonely, but now you view it as independent.
What’s more, you see your newfound independence as a sign of bravery, wholeness, strength, and wisdom.
You revel in it because you no longer attach your happiness to someone else.
You’re proud to be self-sufficient because it takes a lot to master the art of freeing yourself from others.
6. You gain the ability to empathize with people who are hurting.
Now that you understand heartache firsthand, you sincerely care about the pain of others.
You become more sensitive and empathetic.
You are not afraid to share your story in order to give people hope.
7. You thrive more fruitfully in your career.
You realize that investing your energy in your work provides more rewards than any other person can.
A fulfilling career gives you the home and the life you want and it doesn’t require that you depend on anyone else.
Therefore, you prioritize your career aspirations over any potential love interests.
8. You reinvent yourself.
You try out new things because you can.
Maybe you cut your hair, try higher stilettos, travel more often, cook complicated dishes, or enjoy risky adventures.
As you change, you discover that reinventing yourself is the best way to heal.
Instead of giving up on yourself, you reinvent yourself and find that better things lie ahead.
If you’re coming out of a toxic relationship and life feels overwhelming, never fear.
Life may be difficult now, but the benefits you’ll take from your healing process will be worth the struggle.
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Karla Crisostomo is a writer who focuses on relationships, dating, and breakups. For more of her relationship content, visit her Twitter page.
This article was originally published at Unwritten. Reprinted with permission from the author.