To those who have toxic PIs, did your mental health improve after graduating and leaving the toxic PI?
I have had a toxic PI since last year and it's definitely taking a toll on my mental health. In the last 6-7 months, I have constantly heard things like "People of my stature shouldn't even talk to someone like you", "you are so stupid and dumb, you don't understand anything", "you can get out/walk out of the group", "I will not give you good references". A lot of times I go to his office, he makes me feel like a complete loser who has zero abilities to do anything. I think he treats everyone in our group the same way. I have been told by a few students to not take his things personally but then how do you deal with this toxicity on a regular basis? I cannot wait to graduate and leave this group.
Did anyone else have a toxic and mean PI who impacted their mental health? And did it change after you left the group? I wanted to listen to some success stories. I am in the US and studying engineering.