Ever heard the phrase, ‘keep your friends close and your enemies closer’? It means that not everybody who is in your corner means well for you and some are only keeping you close so they can keep their evil eye on you. Here’s how to spot a toxic friendship and end it before it ends you.
Good friendships are vital for well-being, giving you a reliable support network in times of distress and helping you to feel known and understood. Loved ones provide accountability and offer support as you journey towards your goal. However, it’s important to know when a friendship has become toxic, sapping your energy and undermining your self-esteem. It’s hard to spot these toxic friends because more often than not, they are the greatest pretenders and manipulators.
Toxic friendships are essentially friendships with no balance. One friend’s needs get met while another’s are forgotten. A toxic friend is draining, unsupportive, and focuses only on his or her feelings. He or she also gives tremendous stress.
As a result, you will find toxic friend overly demanding because they take a lot from you but won’t give anything back. This may seem fairly harmless but after a prolonged amount of time, such friendships cause us to become angry, resentful thus leaving us equally as toxic.
Rather than bringing company and comfort to your life, a toxic friendship will bring exhaustion and frustration. Once you recognise the red flags, you can work towards cutting the bad energy out of your life.
Here are 8 signs that you are in a toxic friendship!
8 signs that you are in a toxic friendship:
1. They overly critical
There’s a difference between constructive criticism and someone who is using any chance to stick the knife in. Their so-called advice is often brutal and can feel like a kick in the gut rather than a piece of friendly advice.
Over time, this critique will wear you down and make you feel small.
