my toxic traits

We all have negative aspects to our character and maybe a fatal flaw here and there, and maybe even a few toxic traits. Today, I’ll be exposing myself by sharing some of mine.

I’m too Curious for My Own Good

This has genuinely gotten me into trouble before, so, of course, it’s gotta go first on the list.

I love learning how things work: machines, systems — people, and what better way to find out how the inner workings of one’s mind functions than by asking someone questions? There were a few instances in high school where my incessant questioning caused arguments and rifts in friendships, and I never really understood why. At the time, I thought that the act of asking questions was seen as a neutral act by everyone, but that’s far from the case. I’ve since learned to reign in my questioning tendencies. While I’d still rather ask question after question of someone to get to the bottom of something or to just learn about them, I refrain from doing so because I know that other people don’t few the act of asking and answering questions the same way that I do.

My Chronic Perpetrator Complex

Ever heard of someone having a victim complex? Yeah, I’m the opposite.

For a long time, I’ve had this nagging feeling that every bad thing around me is my fault. You only had the teeniest bit of influence over this catastrophe? Welp, it’s still your fault and you could have stopped it from happening. Pair that with people who I used to have in my life that had victim complexes and it was just a perfect storm.

I’m Either Extremely Blunt or I Sugarcoat to all Hell

My natural tendency when speaking to people is to be incredibly blunt and straightforward, but after years of that getting me into trouble, now I’ll rely on sugarcoating.

My natural way of communicating is very direct. I cut to the point, I don’t embellish, and I don’t leave much room for grey or moral ambiguity. But this is off-putting and people don’t like it, so I learned to adjust. Unfortunately, I over-corrected. Now, I’d rather sugarcoat issues than communicate directly or tactfully because blunt communication is hurtful. I’m trying to find a happy medium between the two methods of communication, but it’s hard at times. I’ve lost friends over my bluntness so, why should I go back to communicating that way? Well, now that I’ve learned how to talk about things in a more empathetic manner, I believe that I ought to try to re-incorporate a percentage of my bluntness because it will allow for more vulnerable communication. Going back and forth between the two is easy enough more or less, but communicating with a mixture of the two is probably the best.

I see the Good in Everyone

Now, this might not sound like a good thing, but I truly mean everyone.

Most people turn out the way they do as a result of their circumstances. Abuse, neglect, pampering, bullying — all these things can bring about a nasty or at the very least, an annoying person to have to deal with. But I truly believe that everyone regardless of their circumstances or upbringing has the capacity to learn and grow. Someone might commit horrible, atrocious, utterly horrible acts, but I still believe that they deserve the opportunity to learn and change.

I Still Drink Milk

Yes. It’s true. I’m twenty-one years old and I still drink milk. Worst of all? I can’t stand any type other than skim milk.

Truly, the most toxic trait of all. I don’t drink alcohol, coffee, tea, or soda, but I still drink skim milk. This is something that I’m genuinely embarrassed about to some degree, but I can’t help it, I just like the way it tastes.

I hope that learning about some of my toxic traits hasn’t completely destroyed your perception of me, and if it has, I understand. Who could ever trust someone who likes skim milk?