In this world, you will meet both good and bad people, and there's no way around that. What you can do instead is avoid their toxic influence whenever you spot a bad one.

So, never let a toxic person control you. Also, know that this resistance might make them want to control how other people see you.

But the challenge we'll focus on today is on how hard it can sometimes be to spot a toxic person. Because, let's not kid each other, some people are pure poison, and yet from afar, they seem like saints.

And so, here's how to know someone is toxic, even if you are very subtle about it.

1. The Critic

I will start by saying that there's good and bad criticism. Good criticism is genuinely intended to make you get back on track, and it's done out of love.

Then there's bad criticism, whose main intention is to make you feel bad about yourself or your abilities.

You can always tell when someone is correcting you to help you become a better person and when someone is doing it to attack your sense of self-worth.

Avoid such people, because they have self-esteem issues they are trying to pass on to you.

2. The Always Negative

Negativity is very toxic and psychologically taxing, and it's difficult to lose. That should make it clear how toxic it can be to let a negative person get close to you.

As you know, being positive in life will make your life more positive, which is the opposite of what negative people do.

Anyone who cannot see the brighter side of life doesn't deserve a place in your life. Let them go.

3. Time Wasters

Some toxic people do nothing but waste your precious time. You will make it clear to this person you need to get something done, but they would rather hog all your attention over trivialities such as chatting.

This person will meet you in a rush to get somewhere and immediately start demanding that you give them attention. That's toxic.

A genuine person is usually more understanding.

4. Forever Victims

Some people will always play the victim, even when they are the victimizers. This can really get on your nerves since it's pure manipulation.

This person will never take responsibility for anything, and they will blame anyone to make themselves look good.

This is pretty immature, and putting up with it will be a huge psychological burden. That's why you should avoid such people at all costs.

5. The Indifferent

There should never come a time when you have to beg someone to give a damn about you. And caring about you is not always about what someone says.

What matters more is that the person proves they care through their actions.

This person will never make a decision that takes your emotions into consideration. They just don't care about you and getting close to that person to the point of expecting them to reciprocate the feelings they have for you can be quite toxic.

The journey to true happiness is long and winding, and you often meet many challenges in the form of toxic people who can even make you lose your faith in people. So, avoid these toxic people at all costs and your life will be much better.