teen spAce

Dr SheFALI BATrA

W

e like everything in our life

to be fresh and wouldn’t

intentionally choose

anything toxic. Toxicity

troubles us over time. It may not be

lethal at once, but after a while, air

pollution can give you a bronchial

asthma, trash attracts pests, stale

food makes us sick, and dirty clothes

could prompt a skin infection.

Are we this cognizant of the choices

we make about people in our life?

Do we realize that everyone we

know isn’t really on our side? Are

we hanging out with them simply

because we’re too afraid to be alone?

Or we are guilty about them feeling

bad? Are we still continuing to be in

relationships that don’t enrich us?

It’s not surprising that many of us

have such people in our lives. They

could be jealous or over-possessive

or even cold and disinterested. But if

you see these tendencies and analyse

rightly, you’ll know that they do

more harm to you than good, by just

being around you and scoring a spot

in your existence. We can’t run away

from them all the time, but keeping

an eye for toxicity can help you keep

yourself safe and protected.

Stormy aggressors

Such friends really appear to add

zest and spice to a boring life, but

they can also get toxic by being

hyper reactive and unpredictable

— for example a friend who is loud,

brash and strongly opinionated. Such

a friend could one fine day suddenly

lash at you because you did not

laugh at their joke. Or unexpectedly

get upset about you not showing up

for class, or just anything at all. The

lack of consistency makes your mind

wonder what you did wrong, why

they’re really unhappy and whether

this was about you.

Manipulators

They send double meaning

messages to confuse you. They know

how to use you and your niceness,

Photo

: ©

MILKOS / 123rF

.COM