What hurts more than a break-up? Holding on to a friend, knowing that he or she is not good for you. The friend that you love makes you feel like a loser, de-motivated, bad about yourself, and even makes fun of you in front of others. Every encounter with your friend leaves you drained and depressed. These are the signs of a toxic friend.
A toxic friend is not aware of his or her behavior. He or she can be manipulative, disrespectful, and pessimistic without even knowing it. But the problem is they do not even admit it. Try having a conversation about their behavior, you will end up getting gaslighted. Their actions depend upon their mood. Their world revolves around them, and they are selfish. A toxic friend will ask for your validation, constantly leaving you drained.
It is really important to burn the bridge with toxic friends in order to save your peace. Here are the 7 signs of a toxic friend that you need to know
They do not respect you
Any relationship is successful when there is mutual respect. But a toxic friend does not respect you at all. They leave not even a single chance to put you down, criticism and sarcasm are rained upon you, and you feel depressed. And when you tell them that it’s hurting you, they always say that you are over-reacting and way too sensitive. It is really important to leave that friend right away.
They want constant attention
It is okay to ask for a healthy amount of attention. But for your toxic friend, attention takes another face. They constantly text you and never realize that you are busy. In case you tell them that you are busy, they get offended and fight with you. A toxic friend might make you feel obliged to make them happy, and when they tell you that you don’t have time for them, you feel guilty and bad about yourself.
They always talk about them
Imagine sharing a problem with your friend and them starting talking about themselves in return. Nothing about you matters to them ever, it is always their problems and matters. You never feel heard or understood instead, your feelings are being avoided, and your friend always talks about them. This is a big red flag. You may end up feeling unseen and unheard after this. So, it is really important to leave this friend right away.
They do not respect your boundaries
Boundaries are important, and a healthy person will always respect and understand your boundaries. However, boundaries do not exist for toxic friends. They do not leave a single chance to break the boundaries, and when you tell them about their behavior, they get offended. This behavior will make you feel unsure and conflicted about your boundaries. It is really important to let go of this friend as their behavior will end up making you frustrated.
Your friendship feels like a compulsion
Manipulative friends target your emotions and abuse and manipulate you accordingly. They make you feel like you are the reason behind your happiness, and their happiness depends entirely on you. You may feel frightened to tell anything honestly to your friend and think that it will hurt them. These friends might make jokes about hurting themselves if you left them, testing your loyalty and love and even making you the actual villain. Such friendship drains and exhausts you mentally.
It is really important to cut ties with such a toxic friend.
Everything is a competition
Every small thing or event becomes a competition. Generally, friends are happy and supportive of your achievements, but this friend compares your achievements with theirs, gets jealous, and turns everything into a competition. For them, your friendship is like a game in which it is mandatory for them to win. As a result, you may always end up feeling unappreciated and afraid of telling your friends about your achievements.
You may end up feeling drained
After all of this pleasing and holding on to this toxic friend, you may feel drained and exhausted. After giving all of your efforts and not getting even a bit in return, you may feel lost and un-appreciated.
Such friendships can have a huge toll on your mental health. It is really important to leave that person and heal yourself.
Mentioned above are some hints that can help you in knowing you have a toxic friend. Though the situations and stories might be different, it is always advisable to seek professional help, if needed, and make wise decisions.