We all have those friends who we know don’t have our best interests at heart. These type of friends are called fair weather friends. If you know someone who comes around when times are challenging to celebrate your downfalls or enjoy watching your misery, then you know what I’m talking about.
It can take a lot of strength to cut ties with people you thought were friends. For your own mental health, it’s good to recognize when relationships are no longer healthy. Once you can identify that these relationships no longer serve a definite purpose, it’s ok to let them go.
You do not need people in your life that make you feel bad about yourself. There are enough enemies and haters out there that we do not need to invite that negativity in. We have no room for false friends with negative agendas. It’s important to keep people around you that life you up and bring you happiness.
Here are some signs that your friendship may be toxic. If these things sound familiar to you, it may be time to put some distance in your association with that person.
Getting together takes an emotional toll on you. If the thought of meeting starts to give you hives and you start making excuses to cancel that is a huge red flag.
Nothing to celebrate here. If you tell your friend about exciting news and they brush it off or change the subject that’s not a good sign. You need friends who support you can celebrate and be happy when good things happen in your life.
Conversations are always negative. Friends should share good and bad with you but if the messages are bringing you down all the time you should reevaluate what is going on.
Mean girls should stay in the theater. It’s ok to have a friend call you out on your shit but if it’s done often and in a malicious manner that is not what you should call a friend.
Another type of friend you may have is called a friend for a season. These are typically a good influence or support system in your life. Once a season is over we may no longer have much in common with the friend like we once did. It does not mean that you can no longer be friends, but it could be that you are not as strongly connected as before.
These relationships are a little harder to tell when they are over because they do not usually end in a bad way.
Friends come and go in life and if you’re lucky you may have some friendships that will last decades. I only have one close friend from high school and the rest of my school friends I would consider as friends for a season.
We all have multiple stages in our life that will bring friends that you have something in common with during a specific part of your journey through life. Work friends change when you change office positions. I had fitness friends when I was working towards bodybuilding competitions. We all had something in common at that time, so our friendships worked. I still consider these people friends, but we are not as close as we once were.
Moving on from those friendships can be scary and sad but necessary for growth.
Be thankful for the friends you have and have had in the past. We learn so much from one another, and our friendships help shape us into the people we are today.
