What do I do when my toxic job is destroying me but I feel trapped?

Feeling trapped is its own kind of pain, sometimes worse than the toxicity itself. When you believe you cannot leave, every bad day lands harder because there seems to be no end to it. So hear this first: you are not as trapped as the fear tells you. Trapped is a feeling, and feelings are not always facts. The workplace is telling you a story, that you have no options, that this is what you deserve, that leaving is impossible. Toxic places always tell that story, because it keeps people from leaving. But you had a life before this job and you will have one after. The walls feel total from the inside. They are thinner than they look. You do not have to quit tomorrow. You just have to prove to yourself the door exists. This week, do one small thing toward an exit: update your resume, message one person, look at one listing. Not to leave today, but to remind yourself you can. That single act starts loosening the trap, because it turns you from stuck into someone who is moving.