How To Let Go Of Unhealthy Relationships & Boost Your Self-Worth

If you have a fear of rejection, you may notice that you change your behavior to please others.

By Caroline Rushforth — Written on May 26, 2020

Photo: getty

How To Let Go Of Unhealthy Relationships

Unhealthy relationships change everything we know about ourselves.

Often, we want the relationships we have in our lives to teach us something. When we interact with other people, we learn not only from them, but also about ourselves.

We can become aware of our internal emotions and appreciate the contrast of the attributes we like and dislike.

But when someone has a negative impact on us, we might avoid taking responsibility for our triggered emotions, and end up blaming someone else for the way we feel.

At this point, it's important to know how to let go of unhealthy relationships and make way for healthy ones.

In the worst-case scenarios of dysfunctional and unhealthy relationships, a person unconsciously chooses to take on another person's baggage and ends up being manipulated and controlled.

Here are some examples of manipulative and controlling actions in a relationship:

Putting up with emotional bullying and manipulation.
Being influenced by judgments people make about you.
Taking on the feelings and opinions of other people have, causing you to become the person they perceive you to be.

If you want, you can choose to take on opinions, criticisms, and judgments from other people. Or, you can choose not to.

You have absolute control over your own emotional state.

The more you work on your own self-worth, the less other people's comments will upset you. When you have more respect for yourself, you are less likely to attract negativef people in your life, anyway.

Knowing that you have complete control over your feelings, actions, and emotions allows you to get to know yourself and begin to appreciate who you are.

It is very liberating to let go of the people and burdens that bring you down and a precious gift to give yourself when you are ready.

Imagine the freedom of feeling less troubled by what other people think of you.

Many people fear that they would seem arrogant or selfish if they didn't care.

But what actually happens is that people start to respect you more. They see a balanced and centered person who they want to be like, too!

If you get caught up in other people’s stuff, remember these tips:

You can walk away at any time.
You can immerse yourself in doing something you love that gives you great pleasure.
You can let go of relationships with people who are no longer good for you.
You can re-frame your thoughts into positive ones.
You can say "yes" or "no" to anyone at any time.
You can read a book that's nourishing to your soul.
You can take action.

Here are 6 steps to take on how to let go of unhealthy relationships and boost your self-worth:

1. Write a list of all the reasons this person must stay in your life.

2. Write out all the things they have done to upset or hurt you.

3. Close your eyes and imagine a movie screen in front of you.