You can’t always tell who a person is based on their Facebook profile. Sometimes you’re emotionally stuck with these people in your everyday life.
It’s essential to know when to end the friendship (regardless of what social media may have led you to believe).
Here are six toxic relationships that I recommend you end before they get any worse:
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1. The Gossip (and the person who just LOVES to hear it)
Having a friend who’s always gossiping about others can be exhausting, and if you’re the one doing all of the listening, it can also make you feel like a terrible friend!
If this is happening in your friendship, allow her to vent and then bring up that gossiping isn’t always productive.
Focus on building a friendship around other things and keep in mind that there are plenty of ways to get through an awkward situation without bashing another person.
And if your friend just loves to hear negativity about other people and has no interest in being anything but a spectator, it may be time to find new friends who are more positive and supportive.
2. The Person Who Always Has to be Right
Arguing back and forth with this person is never going to help, so if you’re the type who won’t budge on an issue, set a boundary early on.
Instead of running everything by her, try going solo if you don’t have a backup plan.
If she’s always trying to prove that she’s right, tell her how it makes you feel rather than allowing it to build up inside of you until you explode.
3. The Person Who Couldn’t Care Less About Your Life
The friend who isn’t invested in your life and only comes around when they want something from you will never change their ways (if they can even be changed).
If this is someone who treats you like an obligation, stop letting yourself be used by them. You deserve better!
And even if the person does care about you, if you’ve tried everything to make it work and these efforts aren’t reciprocated, it’s time to move on.
4. The “Friend” Who Procrastinates Meeting With You… or Anything Else for That Matter
Are you the same person all of the time? Yes. So, have you earned the right to be lazy now and then? Most definitely!
But if your friend waits until the last minute to make plans with you or doesn’t seem to want to do anything when she does make plans with you, it sends a clear message: you’re not important enough.
And while you shouldn’t be the one who needs to change (after all, you’ve been imperfect all of your life), if she isn’t, then it’s time to let her go.
5. The “Misery Loves Company” Friend
Are their problems bigger or more important than yours, and do they expect you to feel sorry for them? If this is the case, stop participating in the pity party.
It doesn’t help anyone (including yourself) to give people an audience for their melodrama.
If you feel obligated to listen to everything, then stop seeing this person altogether.
6. The Friend Who Makes You Feel Depressed or Anxious
This is a sign that you may have an underlying issue with codependency. If so, don’t ignore it!
Make some changes and surround yourself with people who make you happy and put a smile on your face the way they do for you.
They’re out there — you just have to find them.
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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You may also like these posts on The Good Men Project:
White Fragility: Talking to White People About Racism | Escape the “Act Like a Man” Box | The Lack of Gentle Platonic Touch in Men’s Lives is a Killer | What We Talk About When We Talk About Men |
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Photo credit: Ben Sweet on Unsplash