{"id":184431,"date":"2024-05-09T10:27:20","date_gmt":"2024-05-09T14:27:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/?post_type=article&p=184431"},"modified":"2024-05-09T10:30:49","modified_gmt":"2024-05-09T14:30:49","slug":"am-i-toxic","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/es\/content\/am-i-toxic\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00bfSoy t\u00f3xico?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you are asking yourself, am I toxic, <\/em>you might be afraid that you\u2019re a bad person. Or, if someone called you toxic, you might be trying to figure out what that means.<\/p>\n

All humans have the ability to be unhealthy or have toxic behaviors because we\u2019re human <\/em>and imperfect. What makes us able to improve is how we move forward with this new awareness.<\/p>\n

While hearing this word can definitely be hurtful, it might be helpful to remember that it\u2019s natural for people to want to use words and labels like \u201ctoxic\u201d because it helps them make sense of the world. It might also be the only way they know how to tell you that your behavior is harmful or hurting them.<\/p>\n

Hearing yourself described as \u201ctoxic\u201d might even come as a surprise! Because sometimes we might engage in unhealthy behaviors without knowing it.<\/p>\n

What does toxic mean?<\/h2>\n

\u201cToxic\u201d means that you are acting in ways that don\u2019t consider another person or how your behaviors make someone feel<\/a>. This usually happens on a spectrum that can go from a little unhealthy to very toxic or abusive<\/a>.<\/p>\n

How do I know if my behaviors are toxic?<\/p>\n

Some examples of toxic behavior can be controlling behaviors. For example, forbidding your partner to see other people because you\u2019re afraid that they will leave you. And these behaviors extend to extremely toxic and abusive behavior, like physical, sexual, or emotional violence<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But, sometimes toxicity can be harder to spot, especially in ourselves. An example of this can be having trouble expressing our needs. Maybe our needs weren\u2019t met in childhood, so we learned that we can\u2019t state our needs because they won\u2019t get met. Or we will be shamed for having them.<\/p>\n

As we get older, we might not know how to express our needs, so we either don\u2019t express them and still expect them to be met, or might express them in a toxic way\u2014like through passive aggression.<\/p>\n

Some indicators that a person\u2019s behaviors might be toxic are:<\/p>\n