06/01/2026
Hi lovely,
Every family has that one toxic person.
The one watching your moves like a hawk, lurking on socials, smiling while taking notes of the way you dress, live, breathe.
Some are smooth, quiet manipulators who clap for you while whispering shade and sharpening a knife. Others are drills, loud, harsh, relentless.
It’s the snide comments. The constant comparing. The subtle digs disguised as “advice.” Lately, maybe it’s the festive season, but so many of my clients have been dealing with this exact energy where family members who push buttons, stir drama, and leave everyone tense.
A mother‑in‑law, who regrets aging, her situation, marriage issues. A brother who feels he should be the more successful one. A sister‑in‑law who feels you are living a version of her life, the perfect one. A husband who feels you are succeeding and climbing ladders socially or career wise. And sometimes? It’s a cousin. Rooting for you out loud while holding a knife behind their back.
People tied to you by blood, marriage, or history, people you’re told to tolerate because “family is family.” But is family adding value to your mental and emotional wellbeing when the first and sometimes o ly thing they bring is a growing toxicity.
Here’s the tea my love, moving away doesn’t always mean leaving, it’s emotional distance. Energetic detachment. Strategic silence.
Stop explaining yourself. They feed on reactions. Silence = power. Set boundaries without guilt. Love doesn’t require self‑betrayal. Change access, not your heart. You can love them from afar. Stop fixing them. You’re not rehab for emotional immaturity. Trust your body. If your energy tenses, your soul already knows.
Some people cheer for you with crossed fingers.
Others with knives behind their backs.
Protect your peace.
Sometimes moving away looks like leaving.
Sometimes it looks like staying… but refusing to dance in their chaos.
Love,
M