It's not always easy to know where you stand in a friendship, but there
are ways to spot when it’s no good. Find out how to recognize a toxic friend and handle
a toxic friendship. Remember to have support around you, and to ask for
help when you need it.
This can help if:
- you’re having trouble with friends
- you’re being bullied by friends
- you want to know the signs of a bad friendship
- you want to know what to do about a bad friendship.
Recognizing a toxic friendship
If you’re wondering whether your friendship with someone is toxic, you can look out for some possible signs. A toxic friend might:- have an angry attitude towards life
- gossip about others or about you
- criticize you, either subtly or not
- constantly remind you of your past failures
- try to manipulate you into feeling a certain way or doing something you don’t want to do
- stress you out
- demand too much, without giving anything back.
The best way to decide whether a friendship might not be healthy is to be honest with yourself about how you feel when you’re with that person. Do you generally feel worse when you hang out with them? Do you feel drained of energy any time you spend time with them? Toxic friendships are bad for our mental health and well being. If you can’t improve the relationship, you should think about letting it go.
See Also: What makes a good friend?
What you can do about a toxic friendship
None of us likes the idea of losing a friend, and some people deserve a second chance. Your friend may not be aware that their behavior bothers you. It might be worth talking to them and establishing some healthy boundaries:- Say ‘no’ when your friend asks for something that makes you feel uncomfortable.
- Point out to them when they’re acting mean or being critical of you.
- Tell them when their behavior is unwanted and unacceptable.
- Talk to them about how their behavior makes you feel.
- It’s okay to tell them that if they aren’t willing to treat you better, then it might be best if you parted ways.
Ending a friendship
If the steps you’ve taken don’t improve things, then it might be time to pull the plug:- Write down a list of reasons why you think the friendship should end. Keep the list handy in case you need to look at it.
- Sit down with your friend and explain as best as you can that the friendship isn’t healthy.
- Try not to point the finger at them or to make them feel bad.
- Instead, tell them how the time you spend with them makes you feel. Nobody can ever take your feelings away from you.
- Listen to their point of view and try not to argue with them.
- If either of you gets angry, calmly remove yourself from the situation.
- End the conversation as politely as you can, for their well being and yours.
- Or you could just save yourself all of this drama and cut the bitch off.