Think aloud
The world is filled with people who want to see you suffer. So, while you’re fighting your way through it, you must learn how to recognize the signs someone wants to destroy you. That’s your best way to lead a happy life.
No matter how hard you try to run away from all of the toxic people you meet, the chances are that you won’t be able to fully avoid them. At some point or another, someone will walk into your life and pretend like they’re your best friend.
They’ll act as if they want to see you thrive when in reality, all they want to do is see you suffer. The only thing that’ll make them happy is to see you down on your knees, unable to get up.
These moments are inevitable and they’re a normal part of every person’s life. You’ll meet many people who’ll pretend to be your good friends when they’ll only be wearing masks of angels. Those are the ones who’ll bring you the most pain.
Truth be told, they don’t deserve a place in your life. They shouldn’t be allowed to play with your mind or emotions and tear you down. That’s why it’s highly important to notice all of the signs someone wants to destroy you.
That way, you can act accordingly and deal with them the right way. If you don’t spot the signs before it’s too late, they could ruin you forever and make your life a living hell.
15 signs someone wants to destroy you
A person who wants to destroy you won’t be open about their intentions. They’ll pretend to care about you when in actual fact, they’re simply waiting for the right time to stab you in the back.
No amount of love can change them, as they thrive on seeing other people suffer. That’s what keeps them going.
So, to save yourself from those who don’t want you to be happy, you need to be able to recognize the signs someone wants to destroy you. And once you finish reading this article, you’ll be able to do exactly that.
1. Their tone is off
If others were to listen to the words coming out of the mouth of a person who wants to destroy you, they likely wouldn’t spot anything wrong. The words themselves would sound acceptable so it wouldn’t seem like anything was wrong with them.
No one else could tell that they were trying to hurt you with what they just told you. Even if you were to complain about what this toxic person just said, others wouldn’t be able to understand what you were talking about.
The reason for this is that someone who wants to destroy you simply uses a different tone of voice when talking to you. And since you know the way they speak to others, you’ll be able to spot the difference.
Once you notice this behavior, it doesn’t necessarily mean that this specific person is trying to ruin you but it’s definitely one of the first signs they’ll show.
2. They act like they’re better than you
When someone wants to destroy you, they’ll act as if they’re better than you. They’ll always try to come off as smarter and more capable than you, even when that’s not the case.
You could be an expert in a certain field but they’ll still try to portray themselves as more experienced. They’ll use all these smart words and phrases just to fool others to think they know what they’re talking about.
After that, they’ll put you down using an assertive tone of voice and pretending like they know better than you. In reality, they have no clue what they’re talking about and they suffer from a serious inferiority complex.
That’s the exact reason why they act this way and do their best to see you suffer. Deep down, they know that they could never outsmart you so they use all these sneaky manipulative techniques to try and sound more intelligent than you.
3. Your happiness doesn’t excite them
One of the signs someone wants to destroy you is when you see them feeling blue whenever you’re happy. You see it in their eyes that they aren’t excited about your achievements.
Resentment radiates off their body and you can easily tell that they don’t want to see you thriving. They would rather see you suffering than working your way through life with a smile on your face.
A person who wants to destroy you will give you a fake smile as a way of celebrating your happiness but that’s all you’re going to get from them. And honestly, it’ll be easy to tell that their excitement isn’t real. It’s only a false attempt as they try to act like your friend but the truth is that they can’t wait to see you fail.
4. They downplay your success
Every time you accomplish something amazing, this person tries to downplay your success. They act as if what you did was too easy and they tell you that anyone could do it.
They ignore all of the effort you put in and pretend like it’s not a big deal. While other people with honest intentions keep applauding you for your success, a person who wants to destroy you keeps glossing over it.
They may say, “I’m happy for you but anyone could do that,” or, “I could do that much faster than you but I’m happy you made it.”
When you hear these sayings, trust me, they’re not happy for you. They’re actually envious of your success and will do their best to devalue it.
Deep down, they know that they could never achieve the same as you but they still keep acting as if they know better than you. Their goal is to lower your self-esteem and make you think you’re incapable of achieving great things when the reality is far from that.
5. They always focus on the negative
One of the signs someone wants to destroy you is if you always hear them talking about your negatives or flaws. No matter what you do, they always make sure to find something to comment on.
Every time you share good news with them, they ignore the success you’ve earned. Instead, they focus on the negative aspects of it.
You’ll hear words like, “It took you way too long to get there. You should’ve given up a long time ago,” or, “I guess your boss felt sorry for you and that’s why he gave you a promotion. Honestly, it’s not a much better position than your previous one but you know, I guess you should be thankful for it.”
No matter what you achieve, they’ll find a way to bring you down. It’s more than obvious that they don’t want to see you doing well so they’ll do their best to deprive you of happiness.
6. They doubt your dreams or ambitions
You know that feeling when you get excited about your dreams or ambitions and you can’t wait to share your ideas with someone? And then, instead of understanding and support, the only thing this person gives you is doubt?
“You aren’t going to make it. You’re incapable of doing that. It’s out of your league so don’t even get your hopes up.”
Now, if you have that one person who always reacts this way when you tell them about your dreams then you should be careful around them. Their behavior is a clear sign they want to destroy you.
To achieve that, they’ll start by destroying your dreams. The moment they spot the fire in your eyes or tone of voice, they’ll try to ruin it for you. They won’t care whether they shatter your ambitions either because they want to see you suffer.
Actually, that’s a part of their plan. The reason they do this is that they know they could never achieve the things you dream about. Your goals are completely unattainable to them, no matter how hard they try.
Since they can’t stand seeing you happy, they make the decision to ruin your dreams. Once they do that, they’ll feel good about themselves since they’re envious of your success.
7. They trash-talk you behind your back
Another of the signs someone wants to destroy you is when you realize that they talk about you behind your back. Whenever you’re together, they act like your best friend. They pretend that they’re always there for you and would do anything to see you happy.
But the moment you’re out of the room, their behavior changes completely. Instead of having your back and being in your corner, they start talking trash about you.
Most of the time, the things they say to others are complete lies that they’ve made up. They simply want everyone to turn their backs on you.
They want to see you going through life all alone because they know that would make you vulnerable. Then they could pretend to always be there for you while working against you all the time.
8. They try to isolate you from your friends and family
Besides telling lies and making other people hate you, a person who wants to destroy you will also try to isolate you from your close friends and family. They’ll try to make you feel like you’re alone in this world.
That’s why you’ll hear them talking badly about your best friend. You’ll also hear them criticizing your family members because they want you to wash your hands of them.
They want you to end up all alone, thinking they’re your only real friend. But if you do that, you’ll sign yourself up for a life of suffering.
Even once you finally see through their actions, it’ll be hard to get yourself back on track and rebuild yourself after everything they’ve put you through.
9. They act all friendly when they need something from you
A person who wants to destroy you will keep coming and going in your life. One day they’re next to you and they have your back no matter what. The next day, there’s no sign of them and they’re gone without explanation.
Suddenly, they reappear on your doorstep, acting all friendly and apologizing for not being there for you. Apparently, they had too many things going on.
But it’ll turn out that the only reason why they’re acting so friendly and nice is that they need something from you. They need your help and that’s why they’re pretending to be something they’re not.
Don’t get your hopes up too high as they haven’t changed. They simply put on their mask until they get what they’re looking for. After you’ve done them a favor, they’ll probably leave your life once more and only come back when they need your help again.
That right there isn’t a person who genuinely cares about you. It’s not someone who’ll be there for you no matter what.
Honestly, they would rather see you suffer than succeed and their behavior shows that. The moment you serve your purpose, they’ll forget about you and only come back when they need something else.
But if by any chance you ask them for a favor, they would find an excuse to say no, without a second thought.
10. They try to take control over your life
One of the signs someone wants to destroy you is when you spot them trying to take control over your life. Through different means and techniques, they’ll do their best to be the one who pulls all of the strings.
This could be done by your partner, a close friend, or a family member. But no matter who succeeds at taking control of your life, the consequences will always be the same.
Now, you must be wondering how someone could control you and your actions when you can obviously notice their intentions. The answer is that they’ll do it so carefully and sneakily that you won’t even be able to figure out what’s going on.
At some point, you’ll simply realize that something’s off but until then, they’ll probably isolate you from anyone else who could help you. You’ll be left there all alone, trying to run away from their shackles because it’s your only way of helping yourself.
No matter how hard you try to change a person who wants to destroy you, you won’t be able to succeed. They’ll always remain a manipulative creature who only wants to see you hurt.
So, if you spot someone expressing signs of controlling behavior, you better run away from them as fast as you can. Save yourself from those who don’t want you to succeed and whose only goal is to tear you apart.
This world is filled with people like this and you need to learn how to recognize them. That’s your only way to a happy life.
11. They make sure to ‘jokingly’ insult you when in public
Every time you hang out with a group of people, this person makes an effort to insult you. Then, when you ask them the reason why they acted that way, they tell you it was only a joke and nothing more than that.
The first time this happened, you probably thought to yourself that you were overreacting and you ignored their comment completely. But then their behavior kept repeating and you realized that you shouldn’t keep tolerating it.
When someone insults you and then gives you the excuse that it was just a joke, you shouldn’t trust them. A person who does this knows very well what they’re saying. They’re aware of their words and they probably don’t have honest intentions.
When you try to talk to them about it, they’ll keep convincing you of how they’ll always have your back. They’ll pretend like they’re on your side even though their actions say differently.
So, if you find yourself in this situation, be careful about what you do next. When someone puts you down in front of others, that person can’t be your friend, no matter what they try to tell you. Their only goal is to destroy you and their behavior is clear evidence of that.
12. They’re a great liar
The moment you try to accuse this person of trying to destroy you, they’ll pull all these excuses out. They’ll keep telling you lies but no matter what they tell you, you should take their words with a grain of salt.
There’s reason to believe that they aren’t being honest with you. It makes no difference how many times they try to convince you that they care about you and could never turn their back on you, the chances are that they’ll do exactly that.
The moment they see an opportunity, they’ll stab you in the back and leave you without even offering you help. They want to destroy you and see you suffer and their lies are proof of this.
13. They gaslight you
One of the clear signs someone wants to destroy you is them gaslighting you. This is a cruel technique a person will use when they want to see you down on your knees.
The moment you ask this person for an explanation, they’ll instantly start to put the blame on you. You’ll become the main reason why they act the way they do or they’ll simply keep ignoring their behavior and try to convince you that you’re the one who acted that way.
The more you try to prove to them that they’re wrong, the harder they’ll gaslight you. Eventually, you won’t be able to figure out who did what and what’s right or wrong.
They’ll play with your mind and you won’t have a clue how to convince them that they’re the one in the wrong. And the moment you give in is the moment that’ll lead you to your downfall.
14. They always play the victim
When someone tries to destroy you, they won’t ever accept the consequences of their deeds. Instead, they’ll keep pretending that they’re the victim.
No one understands them. People always blame them for things that aren’t their fault. No one wants to be in their corner even though they’re a great friend and they always do things to please others.
On and on, they’ll keep pretending how they’re the one who has been played, how they’ve been crushed by the behavior of others, and how you’re blaming them for things they haven’t done.
People like these are toxic to the bone. They don’t care about your emotions and are only using your empathy to get you to trust them.
After that, they won’t have an issue with breaking your heart into two and making you suffer since that’s what they’re there for. They’ll keep putting you down until they succeed and sooner or later, they’ll simply leave you as proof that you didn’t mean anything to them.
The moment you meet someone who always plays the victim card, take a step away from them. Otherwise, they’ll break you into pieces without even thinking about their actions. They’ll destroy you without giving it a second thought and then abandon you like it’s the easiest thing in the world.
15. You feel it in your gut that they want to destroy you
You know that feeling when you meet someone and you instantly feel that their vibe isn’t for you? From a simple look into their eyes, you realize that their intentions aren’t honest. It immediately becomes obvious to you that they’re toxic or manipulative and you know you’ll never feel truly happy in their company.
When you get this feeling in your gut, that’s your sign that someone wants to destroy you. When your instinct keeps telling you that they don’t want to see you happy, you should believe it’s true.
You know best what’s good for you and what can only do you harm. Your body senses that and then gives you a warning so that you can escape before it’s too late.
Hopefully you’ll listen to your gut feeling and run away before this particular person ruins you forever. It’s obvious that they’re poisonous and lack empathy, which is the exact reason why they don’t mind bringing you down just so they can feel better about themselves.
If, by any chance, you end up in their clutches, you should know that there’s always a way out. There’s always a path that will lead you away from someone who wants to destroy you.
Read more: 6 Ways On How To Deal With Someone Who Wants To Destroy You
