[Music] hey everyone welcome back to podcast and chill on the learn English podcast Channel I'm Leo and I'm Gwen it's great to have you with us again today we're talking about something that affects a lot of us in everyday life yep we're going to answer a question that many people have been thinking about what's that question Leo it's are you a toxic person I've seen that question a lot on the internet lately a toxic person is someone who often makes others feel bad sad or stressed so how can we tell if we're being toxic or
if someone around us is that's exactly what we'll talk about today stay with us to find out if there's a toxic person in your life or if it might be [Music] you so let's start by recognizing toxic behaviors Gwen what exactly are toxic behaviors good question Leo toxic behaviors are when someone often brings negativity into situations can you explain more sure it could mean they always talk about bad things they might speak badly about others and don't care how others feel is it like when someone always find something wrong with what you're doing no matter
how hard you try exactly or when they constantly make you feel like you're not good enough that sounds so terrible another sign is if they never listen to what others have to say and just push their opinions onto everyone else that can really bring people down if you notice these signs in someone or even in yourself it might be time to think about it okay now I have a really interesting question for you Gwen what is that Leo so it can be quite easy to know if someone is being toxic but how do we know
if we're being toxic that brings us to our next Point self-reflection what is self-reflection self-reflection is all about asking yourself some simple but honest questions what questions you can ask yourself do I often make others feel bad or do I usually complain or talk badly about people those are tough questions but they're so important it's about being honest with yourself all right so what if my answers are yes and yes if you're often talking about negative things you might need to make some changes I would feel very bad if I knew I was a toxic
person well it's not about feeling bad it's about seeing these behaviors and deciding to improve them everyone has bad days but if it's happening all the time it's worth thinking about right exactly Leo the thing is toxic behaviors don't just affect you they affect everyone around around you too please tell me more about how badly it can affect other people you know Leo toxic behaviors are like a wildfire what do you mean well they spread quickly people around a toxic person might start to feel sad anxious or stressed out too I've seen it happen one
negative comment and suddenly everyone feels bad exactly and over time time this can really hurt relationships I bet friends might start avoiding you and co-workers might not want to work with you and family members might want to stay away from you and all of your negativity that's why it's so important to be aware of how your actions affect others so if people seem unhappy around me does that mean I'm a toxic person not necessarily Leo but if that happen happens you should really think about how you act around people I see you can choose to
be more positive listen more and be more supportive effect meaning to change or influence something example the weather can affect your mood recognizing meaning knowing who someone is or what something is because you have seen them before example she's recognizing her old school friends behaviors meaning the way people act or behave example his behavior in class is very polite complaining meaning talking about things that are wrong or make you unhappy example she is complaining about the bad service at the restaurant avoiding meaning keeping away from something or someone example he is avoiding crowded places how
do you know if a person is being toxic a person is being toxic if they always bring negativity into situations often criticize others talk badly about people and don't care about other people's feelings they might also never listen to others and only push their own opinions why does Gwen compare toxic behaviors to a wildfire Gwen Compares toxic behaviors to a wildfire because both spread quickly and can have a big negative impact so what exactly should we do if we find out we are being toxic great question Leo the next step is taking responsibility taking responsibility
if we realize that we've been negative or hurtful we need to take responsibility for it so I have to admit I made mistakes that would be hard actually it's a sign of strength if you've hurt someone the best thing you can do is to take responsibility and apologize how can it help though it shows that you care about the other person's feelings and that you're willing to make things right seems like a sincere apology can go long way and remember it's not just about saying sorry it's also about making a real effort to change got
it the apology doesn't mean much if we keep making the same mistakes right right and this brings us to our next Point practicing empathy what is that it means putting yourself in someone else's shoes all right Gwen this actually sounds challenging you should ask yourself how would I feel if someone said or did this to me and then when you start thinking about how others feel you're less likely to be negative or hurtful empathy is such a powerful tool but how can I show my empathy well it's very simple just listening can make a huge
difference just listening yeah yes Leo just listening but I've always listened to others the point is to listen without interrupting you mean no interrupting exactly it shows that you respect the other person's thoughts and feelings when I understand where people are coming from it's easier to be more kind correct so keep that in mind but Gwen listening feels quite passive are there any ways to show empathy more actively certainly that leads us to our final point for today making small positive changes how can I make positive changes you can start with little things that can
make a big difference for example like saying thank you more often or giving a genuine compliment you're right they're small gestures but they can definitely brighten someone's day positive words have a powerful effect so instead of using them to hurt people let's use them to make others feel better what else can I do well let's try to focus on the positive side of things even on my bad days would you be surprised if I said changing your mindset can make you a happier person really really when you change yourself for the better both you and
others benefit it sounds like a win-win to me exactly well now I feel much better if I happen to be a toxic person hey I don't think you're toxic at all Leo but remember nobody's perfect we all have our ups and downs the important thing is we're trying to be better you're so kind Gwen thank you [Music] responsibility meaning a Duty or job you're expected to do example it is your responsibility to finish your homework apologize meaning to say sorry for something you did wrong example he apologized for being late to the meeting respect meaning
to show care and consideration for someone or something example you should respect your teacher rules effect meaning a change that happens because of something else example the new rules had a positive effect on the team benefit meaning to gain or receive something good from something example you will benefit from studying hard and that brings us to the end of today's podcast episode so my friends keep these tips in mind as you go about your day you might be surprised at how much of a difference they can make thanks for joining us for this important discussion
everyone we hope you found it helpful don't forget to check the free pdf in the description for more useful vocabulary we'll see you next time on podcast and chill until then keep working on being the best version of yourself bye for now and take care [Music]
