Higher Risk of Depression and Other Mental Illnesses

Are there really ways a toxic relationship can affect your body?

Everyone knows that these relationships have a long-lasting impact on your mental health. You get triggered much more easily, your mind expects others to do the same as your ex, and so on.

But what if I told you that your body has also felt the effects of a relationship that clearly made you unhappy? It’s hard to imagine that part of you has been left untouched by this man.

So if you feel like something is wrong in your body, but you don’t know what’s causing it, you might want to revisit your toxic relationship. It’s a good thing that people are becoming more aware of this aftermath every day. You are never alone.

You just need to be aware of the terrifying challenges your body is currently facing so you can take better care of yourself.

1. High blood pressure

Toxic relationships are like a zone of constant conflict. There is no way to escape that feeling of unease and panic. It’s hard to put it into words, you just know that you are either constantly afraid or constantly angry.

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you felt black because of how angry you were? That was your body’s response to high blood pressure.

A 2016 study shows that the amount of negative emotions in a relationship or marriage can and will cause problems in the long term. The blood pressure of the people who took part in this study peaked when they were in the same room as their partner.

Can you imagine the anger and resentment people felt towards their partner to cause permanent damage to their bodies? I think that’s what a toxic relationship does to a person.

2. Inflammations in your body

As you should have guessed by now, stress is the main factor causing almost everything that is wrong with your body right now. Unfortunately, a 2014 study shows that increased amounts of stress can also cause inflammation in your body.

This stress is caused by the constant fight or flight mode your body is in. It becomes chronic after you spend some time with someone who sucks the life out of you.

However, the fight or flight response should only be a temporary response to a nerve-wracking situation. It is not natural for your body to be in this state all the time.

This makes your immune system very weak, leading to a lot of inflammation in your body. This is usually caused by things like conflict, isolation, exclusion and feeling threatened.

You’ve probably experienced some (or maybe even all of those) things in your toxic relationship. You may want to stop being affected by these things; i.e. go to your doctor.

Also Read: This Is How High-Functioning Depression Affects Your Romantic Relationship

3. Higher risk of depression and other mental illnesses

When you are constantly exposed to your partner’s envy, you will have problems with your mental health. It doesn’t happen because you were less confident or because you were weak.

On the contrary, some of the strongest and most intelligent people in the world were moved to tears more than once by someone they thought would love them. I know you feel like it’s your fault, but it’s not.

So, why does it affect you so much? First, when we talk about depression , it can start as simple lethargy. Then you forget to brush your teeth and you no longer have any motivation to get out of bed in the morning.

You can even develop PTSD during this period. Because emotional and physical abuse can have long-lasting effects on the way you view the world.

You are easily triggered by things that haven’t triggered you before simply because certain moments take you to a very dark place in your mind.

Any traumatic experience can and will cause acute or permanent health problems.

4. Differences in the weight of your body

To be completely honest, I don’t believe there is such a thing as “the perfect weight” for a person.

Mainly because all our bodies are made differently. We also need different amounts of nutrients to function properly.

For some people, this means they naturally have a smaller appetite than others. Even if someone has a bigger appetite, that’s totally fine. As long as it doesn’t cause any health problems.

The point where we need to draw the line is when a person experiences huge swings in their weight in a very short period of time. For example, if someone loses a lot of weight in a few weeks.

Do you really believe that something like this is normal? Weight loss or weight gain must occur over a longer period of time. When you are stressed and/or depressed, you tend to change your eating habits.

This is especially true if you are with someone who makes you feel like there is something wrong with your body. Nevertheless, it is extremely dangerous for your body to go through these changes so quickly.

5. Worsened symptoms of other diseases in your body

Do you have a chronic illness? Has it gotten worse since you got into this toxic relationship? For example, if you have asthma, you may experience more symptoms than normal.

Or even if we are talking about physical diseases such as arthritis or type 2 diabetes, their symptoms can become more severe at any time.

Of course, a relationship itself won’t cause these health problems. It’s the kind of relationship you have.

Some people even testify that they feel so calm with their new partner that they no longer even have asthma attacks.

Other people talk about a completely different kind of experience. Simply because they can feel the shift happening in their body and they don’t know why.

However, there have been many studies done on this and I would highly recommend that you seek out more information.

6. A weakened heart

Do you suffer from palpitations? To the point where it takes your breath away? It makes your whole body tingle and it doesn’t seem to stop.

A toxic relationship can affect your body in such a way that you can even develop heart disease. Do not you believe me?

Well, a study published by Perspectives on Psychological Science says that people who have been separated or divorced are more likely to die earlier due to heart disease.

There has even been research on the topic of how healthy relationships can make your heart a much stronger muscle.

Your heart will always respond when you are stressed, so when there is no stress you are actually having a healing experience.

Also Read: Depression Partner Repulsion: Why Does It Happen?

7. A shorter life expectancy

I get it. You don’t want to believe that your husband would have such an impact on your life. However, the more you read about this subject, the more you will understand.

Research conducted over a span of two decades showed a significant link between happy relationships (platonic or romantic) and mortality.

The human body is more susceptible to inflammation due to stress and heart disease. As a result, we can develop certain diseases.

Now that you know all this, are you still planning to stay in a relationship with someone who is clearly not good for you ? You’re not just compromising your wants and needs. You are also endangering your health.

He shouldn’t have that much power over you. It doesn’t matter how much you love him. You should always love yourself more.

Choose yourself over a toxic relationship that has always been bad for every aspect of your life.

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