With the rise of many women’s empowerment movements in the past decade, it has become more evident that many women have been subject to abusive and toxic relationships. Whether this is because they believe the relationship is destined to improve or they stay in the relationship for the good of their kids, these women are often lacking self-esteem, are made to believe this behaviour is normal, or are afraid of the repercussions should they make a stance.
Focused upon helping women find their inner confidence, courage and self-belief, Eve Keil is a certified Life Coach and Relationship Coach and an empowering figurehead who believes that all women deserve to live life to the fullest. She is passionate about working with women who may have been in or are experiencing domestically violent or emotionally abusive relationships so they can reclaim their sense of self-love and regain the freedom to explore the world once more.
Eve believes that all women are powerful and deserve to feel that they can achieve their wildest dreams. Below she outlines why, despite societal progression with women’s rights, women continually find themselves in toxic relationships.
Why do women find themselves in toxic relationships?
Unfortunately, the culture of society positions women in a way that they are less recognised, seen, and heard, particularly in comparison to their male counterparts. As women growing up in this culture, it is normal that we tend to play small and settle for less, often because we lack self-worth and confidence which means we don’t fully believe in our inner abilities.
As women, we are conditioned to accept a situation even if it places a burden on us. Often these burdens can build up, making us believe that we are not worthy of true love and happiness. In many cases, women in toxic relationships perceive themselves as lesser when compared to their male partners, causing them to believe they deserve poor, toxic treatment.
How can we help ourselves or those trapped in toxic relationships?
As a Relationship Empowerment Coach for women, I believe in taking simple and creative approaches to motivating other women. It’s important to remember here that generations of conditioning take time to undo, and every step is actually a huge leap toward success.
When it comes to self-worth and confidence, control can be taken back by focusing on your strengths and talents. A great exercise to do on your own or with a close female in your life is to list out loud all of your positive qualities. For example, I am kind, I am loving, I am hard-working, I am funny, I am friendly. Start with yourself and then ask your family and friends who know you well to list 5 good things they see in you and add those things to your list. Pay attention to the things that are repeatedly mentioned as these would be your top strengths. Speaking these things out loud to either yourself in a mirror or a friend in your life helps to both boost your self-esteem and re-affirm your worth.
For some, working with a Relationship Empowerment Coach may be preferable. When selecting a coach, it’s important to select someone you feel you can trust to not only guide you, but to speak your inner-most thoughts to you. Your coach is going to help guide you on a journey to self-love and self-care and hold you accountable to the life you want for yourself, so it’s important that you feel you have a strong connection to them. A healthy relationship is all about honesty, trust, love and respect, so make sure when choosing a person to work with, you feel these things from them.
Avoiding toxic relationships.
Unfortunately there will always be toxic people in the world. We cannot control how they behave, but we can control our response to their behaviour. By learning to love ourselves as women and holding ourselves in the highest esteem, we will unconsciously begin to put boundaries in place. These boundaries will consist of what we will and will not tolerate from others, whether male or female. They will shield us from entering a toxic relationship and give us the power to exit toxic relationships. Remember, we are all works in progress, but it all starts with one little step toward loving yourself.
To learn more from Eve, or discover more about working with her, visit her website or connect with her on Linkedin.
