I fell into a rabbit hole of dysmorphia & existential crisis, by mistakenly giving undeserving ppl power over me.
Sound all too familiar? Let's break it down, then.
A double-edged sword is being vulnerable with those who seem to merit serious acknowledgment, as illusions can understandably be very believable here. Toxicity, however, is a very passé snake oil that's often sold as acceptance, friendship, &/or "love."
Now, SL is a sanctuary, an artistic expression & extension of selves, that we are welcome to mutually enjoy together or separately. But if you have to pay dearly into a sink-hole to have any "fun," then maybe it's time to reevaluate [your "cool" frienemies] & cut your losses.
This means you can either continue to suckle on the tit of the machine, hoping for a measly crumb or two to keep on going ... or you can be true to yourself & dance to the beat of your own drum (because that's what living really is).
Choose the latter & give zero iota fucks to all but happiness.