Unfortunately, we all have a few toxic people in our lives. Sometimes, they’re easy to recognize, while at other times, they manifest subtly, and we only realize how dangerous they are after they’ve hurt us.
They leave us with psychological and emotional wounds, and it’s usually more painful when the toxic person is a close family member or within our inner circle. Also, if we are highly sensitive individuals, we can be an easy target because we’re especially vulnerable.
We need to learn to recognise the warning signs so we can set healthy boundaries and, therefore, protect our mental health. In fact, looking after our mental health isn’t just about taking baths, walks, and meditation courses, it’s also about removing toxic people from our lives.
This book is a valuable guide in identifying such individuals and offering effective strategies and tools for dealing with them. It’s highly accessible, pragmatic, and filled with actionable advice.
One thing that I particularly liked is that it kept reminding you that there is no one solution that works for everyone; your goal should be to discover what works best for you.
If you think you have a toxic person in your life, even if you don’t consider yourself highly sensitive, this book is undoubtedly a worthwhile read. Look after your mental health, it’s a prority.
Title: The Highly Sensitive Person’s Guide to Dealing with Toxic People: How to Reclaim Your Power from Narcissists and Other Manipulators
Author: Shahida Arabi
Year First Published: 2020
From Goodreads:
Reclaim your power from narcissists, manipulators, and other toxic people. If you’re a highly sensitive person, or identify as an “empath,” you may feel easily overwhelmed by the world around you, suffer from “people-pleasing,” experience extreme anxiety or stress in times of conflict, or even take on the emotions of others. Due to your naturally giving nature, you may also be a target for narcissists and self-centered individuals who seek to exploit others for their own gain. So, how can you protect yourself?
In The Highly Sensitive Person’s Survival Guide to Dealing with Toxic People, you’ll learn evidence-based skills grounded in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) to help you recognize and shut down the common manipulation tactics used by toxic people, such as gaslighting, stonewalling, projection, covert put-downs, and love bombing. You’ll also discover targeted tips to protect yourself from the five main types of toxic people:
- Garden-variety boundary-steppers;
- Crazymakers and attention-seekers;
- Emotional vampires;
- Narcissists;
- Sociopaths and psychopaths.
Finally, you’ll learn how to heal from toxic or narcissistic abuse, and find strategies for establishing healthy boundaries and a strong sense of self. If you’re an HSP who is ready to take a stand against the toxic people in your life, this book has everything you need to survive and thrive.