Rob AndersonLead Coach/ Principle Owner, Stand Sure Coaching · Spending time in collaborative conversations with clients

Recognize Toxic Energy: Early Warning Signs and Solutions #shorts

28 Feb 2026 · 3 min

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2:39

In this short advice segment, the speaker emphasizes the importance of early awareness of toxic energy in any relationship—whether at work, with a partner, or among friends. The first step is to notice subtle shifts in one’s own emotional and physical state, such as chest tightness, headaches, a sharper tone, or mental disengagement. These bodily cues signal the onset of tension. The speaker illustrates this with a coworker who interrupts, prompting the listener to recognize the rising tension before reacting. Toxic energy often begins as minor behaviors—sarcasm, criticism, gossip, or guilt‑inducing remarks—that can spread if ignored. The speaker uses the metaphor of a bruised apple versus a rotten one: if the toxicity is merely a bruise, it can be addressed and the relationship salvaged; if it is truly rotten, removal is necessary. Removing a toxic person is framed not as punishment but as protection for oneself and the broader group (coworkers, volunteers, family). The overall message is to stay vigilant, catch early warning signs, and decide whether to intervene or to cut ties to safeguard the larger “barrel.”

Chapters

Look for the early warning signs. You got to, you got to see where the change happens. When all of a sudden the environment or the boss or the partner or the friendship, whatever, you got to see where that shifts. That very first step is awareness. Recognize when your emotional state starts to change. Maybe you're getting this tightness of the chest and you feel tightness in the back. You're getting headaches. Your tone when you talk to someone sharpens, whether it's towards them or, or someone else. Maybe you just totally mentally check out on it. Look for the early warning signs. If you can recognize the tension right then and there, catch it early, you have an opportunity To either change it or get out before things begin to escalate. So an example of this is a coworker keeps interrupting you mid-sentence, and instead of instantly reacting, notice how your tension rises. That's how you recognize the moment. Just like a bad apple starts off with a soft spot or bruise, Toxic energy begins real subtle. It can be sarcasm. It can be criticism, gossip. It could be, you know, if you're in a situation where you feel like that you don't ever do anything right, or what you do is not enough, or you're made to feel guilty about what you're doing, or you're trying to do your own thing and there's guilt placed upon that. If it gets ignored, it's going to spread. And whether that's in an organization, whether it's within you with that relationship, before tossing out the entire barrel, take a moment, dive in. You know, there's always that opportunity that the apple isn't rotten. It's just got some bruising on it. And if you could cut out that bruising and not the whole apple, then you can save not just that apple but everything else. But if that apple is truly toxic, if that apple is truly, truly rotten, that's when you want to remove it. And it's not punishment. It's protecting yourself and it's protecting the rest of the barrel, whether it happens to be coworkers or co-volunteers or your children or whatever. Again, it's not punishment, but it's, it's done to protect the rest of the barrel.