10 Ways Toxic Behavior Affects a Family

If you are reading this, I assume that you, yourself have lived with a family member that was not aware of the affect they had on their family, or you are the family member responsible for less than pleasant behavior. Whichever one you are, the effect that happens is that it is no longer only about you. You may be dealing with a depression, a chronic illness, a behavioral problem, or just an attitude that sucks.

Do you know how the whole family is affected when there is an outburst, or an episode of less than desirable behavior? Some folks may be feeling scared all the time. Others may not sleep well, resort to less than favorable habits, still others may be withdrawn or depressed over the things that you do.

You have no right to allow your family to suffer the issues you, yourself are not able to handle. If there is medication to assist you with outbursts or depression and you choose not to take it, that decision affects the entire family, not just you.

You have no right to give up on your life when people are depending on you to do your part. If you are no longer able to handle a large load, then step up and do whatever you can. You should have the attitude that you "want" to do whatever you can.

Whether you believe it or not, it is not the responsibility of one family member to carry the entire load, because you have no desire or motivation to move forward.

If you are dealing with a life issue such as a change in job or health, then you need to be motivated to become the best you can be.

When you make the decision to "give up", that lets the entire family down on all levels. You are no longer there for us.

You must understand that family members will decide if this life, such as it has become, will work or not. We as adults are not under anyone's thumb, and need to decide whether we will put up with daily resentment and family members becoming tuned out. Life is way to short to deal with someone who can really not even deal with themselves.

Let us list 10 ways that the behavior can be affecting the rest of the family:

1. Emotionally--you may find that family members become short tempered because they are so frustrated by the negative behavior.

2. Becoming withdrawn to the point they do not want to participate in any family activities.

3. Health issues can crop up in the way of high blood pressure.

4.Physically you may find you are developing aches and pains and your stamina is no longer as strong.

5.Students may find that their grades are suffering because they can no longer concentrate on school when their family life is in the toilet.

6. Drinking and drugs may provide a means of escape for the family member that is too overwhelmed by the negative behavior at home.

7.Being overwhelmed when one family member refuses to help out at home can put a heavy burden on the rest of the family.

8. Infants may seem crankier and not as calm when family is in turmoil. They sleep less and not be able to be calmed by the normal methods.

9. There is no longer any lighthearted fun to experience, due to everything being serious. If you feel like you are walking on eggshells, this is not good for you........EVER.

10.When family members experience stress, a chemical called cortisol dumps into the bloodstream, which affects your immune system in a negative way, therefore promoting illness.