What does “toxic” really mean?

Let’s establish the basics first: what does it mean to be “toxic”? Well, it seems that a toxic person is someone who constantly displays various actions and behaviors that might hurt other people, or that negatively affect the lives of those around them.

Usually, they are the number one instigators in any toxic relationship. Given all that, we could attribute the same profile to a toxic family member, especially if he/she regularly does things that intentionally hurt or affect the other members. Another crucial distinction that needs to be made stands between being toxic and acting toxic.

The first one is when something’s deeply ingrained in our personality, and we enjoy hurting other people, the second one is more for particular aspects of our behaviors. In other words, being in the proximity of a toxic individual could prove to be extremely detrimental to someone’s mental health.