As an empath I feel everything to an extreme- to a point of emotional exhaustion. My exhaustion came to a head yesterday in an utterly embarrassing way. The only word that continued to come to my mind as well as out of my mouth was “Toxic.” I dealt this weekend with family members who enjoyed pouring their toxicity into my life with intent to disrupt a good and positive environment I am hoping to create the weekend of Easter.

Another breaking point came at the end of my weekend as I tried hard to be a protector. Disrespect flowed so freely in my direction multiple times while I fought to First Do No Harm. Why is that attitude so easily attacked? The answer: Toxic personalities. I spent the entire day Monday broken and defeated. This typically strong woman who tries to cloak herself every day to fight the good fight for human kind was suddenly unworthy of respect, appreciation, and regard as a person, a family member, and a colleague.

We All Know Them, But Do We Know Ourselves?

There are some people that genuinely enjoy the mayhem of toxicity they can spew upon the lives of others. They thrive in negativity. They cultivate hostile environments. They flourish in the superiority they feel while making others feel insignificant.

With that being said, while we are not all toxic, it is still important that we are aware that while some of us may truly consciously strive to Do No Harm in all we do and all we represent that we check ourselves. Unfortunately sometimes I am the toxic person. That means, unfortunately sometimes YOU are the toxic person too. We have to seek being mindful that sometimes the problem isn’t the others, it is ourselves- the good, the strong, the advocate, the loving, the motivator, the protector. Keep checking yourself. Keep motivating yourself. It’s okay to be human and make mistakes as long as you recognize and be better.