Choose wisely the people you spend time with. If they don’t support you in your dreams and goals, if they don’t share or support your vision, and if they are overly critical, negative, or draining of your energy, wasting your time, and making you second-guess yourself…choose to disconnect. If these qualities are all they seem to have, say goodbye. Everyone has bad days where criticism comes out, or negativity abounds. Toxic people wallow in those qualities.

Self-aware does NOT mean self-involved. This is part of caring for ourselves in a healthy, non-toxic way. Toxic people call us “selfish” when we radically put ourselves and our own well-being first. Is putting your own oxygen mask on before helping others selfish?

No, it’s common sense. You can’t help or care for others if you don’t first do what needs to be done for YOU.

We teach others how to treat us by how we act, what we say, and what we do or do not allow. These are called boundaries. Remember the phrase, “Good fences make good neighbors?” In place of “fences,” put “boundaries.” The state of being we call happiness does not thrive under negative or adverse conditions.