Friendships are one of life’s greatest treasuresor, the good ones are, at least.
But in the case of toxic friends, these relationships can end up doing more harm than good.
Here’s how to spot toxic friends in your life and how to handle them.
What are toxic friends?
The term “toxic” gets thrown around a lot nowadays, but what does it actually mean?
Anyone, however, can have the capacity toacttoxic sometimes, she adds.
13 signs of a toxic friend:
They don’t respect your boundaries.
The friendship is one-sided.
Any relationship, including platonic ones, should have reciprocity, as in, an equal give and take.
If it’s not, and you’re in aone-sided friendship, it is likely toxic.
You feel drained by them.
Everything is always “your fault.”
They guilt trip you.
They’re not trustworthy.
You’ve outgrown them.
Sometimes we outgrow people, simple as that.
“As we get older, our dynamics and what we value in friendships may change.
One or both of you activate the other.
Enablingcan be a super-subtle sign of a toxic friendship.
They’re manipulative.
We all know to avoidmanipulative people, but manipulation can be very subtle.
Guilt-tripping, passive-aggressive behavior, andgaslightingare all forms of manipulation that can be hard to spot.
They bully you.
This one might seem obvious, but bullying can be discreet, too.
They never seem happy for you.
Agood friendwill celebrate your wins with you, not feel jealous, bitter, or resentful.
They don’t empathize with you, either.
Similarly, a toxic friend isn’t going to be great at holding space for your difficult emotions either.
They don’t actually accept who you are.
What causes a friend to be toxic?
And so our toxic behaviors grow.”
How toxic friends affect you.
If you believe your friend is truly toxic, here’s how to deal with it.
How to deal with toxic friends.
If not, though, that would indicate it might be best to walk away.
Toxic people may not take criticism or conflict well.
Here’s more onhow to fix a toxic relationshipif that’s the route you’d like to take.
Otherwise, here’s our guide onhow to break up with a friend.
FAQ
How do toxic friends behave?
How should you deal with a toxic friend?
boundaries with this person.
If that doesn’t work, it’s likely in your best interest to distance yourself.
What does a toxic friend group look like?
In a group scenario, toxic friends can have an unhealthy sense of competition or jealousy among one another.
