Toxic Friends. We have all had them, I’ve had them, and
you’ve had them. It’s something everyone is going to have to deal with at least once in his or her life. You
have this friend. You love them. You
start spending a lot of time together.
You make tons of memories; take lots of pictures and you start having a
wonderful friendship that other people couldn’t possibly understand, right?
It’s all fine, dandy, and great. You’re happy; you finally found a friend who
you can be yourself around and who loves you for who you are.
But what happens when things start going south? You don’t
notice at first. They start “making fun” of the things you’re most insecure
about. They start ditching you. They start saying, “are you really going to
wear that? Lol ” or “your roots really need to get done haha”. Maybe they start
doing drugs or drinking more, more than you’re used to seeing them doing. They
insist that they’re okay, don’t worry about it, what’s one more drink?
In my case, it happened so quickly I didn’t even know what
was happening until it was already over. It started with the (his) second
arrest. Then I defended our mutual friend
when things started turning sour. Then things spiraled out of control more than
I ever thought they could. Long story short: someone who used to be my best friend, someone who I would come to
when I was upset, or mad, or scared or bored completely turned on me, and
everyone associated with him.
It was a long time coming. He’s been showing signs of
insanity for a while. I tried to distance myself but it was hard because he
lives with three of my best friends. Eventually, he went absolutely insane.
Stealing people’s things, yelling at everyone he saw, writing terrible messages
to everyone in the house, and just generally going crazy.
Even though it’s hard to do, ridding yourself of toxic
friends is most definitely worth it. You will be so much happier, and better
off if you just get rid of the negativity as soon as you see it. Here are a few
tips and reminders on how:
Social Media: The first thing you need to do is delete them off
Facebook, unfollow them on Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. It’s going to do
NO good to have to see their updates all the time and block them, so they can’t
see yours.
Memories: Know and recognize that memories will creep up. And
that’s okay. You’re going to miss them. You’re going to miss the times you had
together. But it’s not worth the stress and putting yourself in danger by being
around them.
Pictures: If you have pictures with them around your rom or
something, take them down. It’s only going to make the “memories” above worse.
Reconnecting: No matter what happens, don’t become best friends
with them again. They might try and woo you back. It’s not worth it. No matter
what you do, you have to stick to your ground. Your happiness and well being is
worth more than a so-called “friend”.
Realize: You need to realize that you’re better than the toxic
person you’re trying to move on from. You don’t need the stress and negativity
in your life. Focus on school, your career, your family, or whatever it is that
you feel needs the most attention in your life.
Your life is going to be so much better, and you’re going to
become a much better person without the toxic people in your life. Some people
are never going to change, but you can make sure you are happy, healthy and
okay with how things are going on in your life. You are so much better than the
people who aren’t lifting you up and making you a better person. One step at a
time! I wish you the best!
How do you get rid of toxic friends?
I've recently been experiencing some "toxic" friends! Hoping to remove them from my life as soon as possible! xx, kenz http://sincerelykenz.com
ReplyDeleteI've definitely had some toxic friends before.
ReplyDeleteI have such a hard time letting go of people but sometimes its just necessary.
xoxo, Jenny || Breakfast at Lillys
I have a really difficult time shutting people out even when I should. I think you can sometimes reconnect with toxic friends but only after a substantial period of time (like a year or more). There needs to be time for both parties to breathe and grow before possibly reconnecting.
ReplyDeleteYes! This is so seriously important. I've been working on this this year, and though you're right, the memories still do creep up- and I'm happy that we had those good memories, but cutting them out of my life was so important and I don't regret it in the slightest.
ReplyDeleteCourtney//As We Stumble Along
This is such a great post, I recently got rid of all of the toxic people in my life.
ReplyDeletewww.kayleighskloset.com
I so needed this right now! It's time to let go of people who don't build me up and uplift me. Great post!
ReplyDeleteX,
Cristina
cristinaoncampus.blogspot.com
I think it's super important to delete negative people out of your life! Great post!
ReplyDeletewith southern grace,
Lindsey
www.withsoutherngrace.blogspot.com
Love this post and toxic friends serve as such great life lessons. Its hard to think about them as a positive thing when you're in the middle of the friendship, but taking time to reflect after really opens your eyes!!
ReplyDeletehttp://thealwaysblog.com
I've been dealing with this and trying to get rid of these people. I am at a point in my life where I need to care a little more about the people I surround myself with. I hate feeling bad because of my friends.
ReplyDeleteNicole // Chronicling Home
This is a great post. I think everyone has been in a toxic relationship at some point in their life, whether with a friend or boyfriend/girlfriend! I could definitely relate and these tips are so helpful!
ReplyDeletexo Ashley
This actually resonates with me so much. I've recently rid myself of a few toxic friends, and in order to make me feel better and like I got proper closure, I wrote them long letters explaining my true feelings and let that be it. I feel so much better, and I've already been so much happier.
ReplyDeleteI've definitely dealt with my share of toxic friends and I think it's important to talk about steps to get rid of those friends that just can't be helped. This is a great post and I hope it helps someone out there realize that sometimes you just have to let go of someone if they are being a toxic influence in your life. Thanks for sharing! xx Merisa | Monogrammed Magnolias
ReplyDeleteI have the hardest time letting go of toxic friends. I find it hard to phase them out of my life completely. It's more like a very slow withdrawal. Having them off of social media definitely helps though.
ReplyDeleteAlessandra | blog.pumpup.com
Mm. Great post. When it comes to social media, though, I take a different approach. I don't delete them because I don't want to give them the satisfaction of saying that I "unfriended them on faceook" I either wait for them to do it or just ignore their posts.
ReplyDeletexo,
Sara Kate Styling
I'm sure we all have some toxic people in our lives and need to heed this advice
ReplyDelete-Morgan
How 2 Wear It [] http://how2wearit.com
Toxic friends are the worst... and I agree. It's best to just rip the bandaid off and eliminate any and all contact. You gotta do what's best for you always!
ReplyDeletexo,
Stephanie
Diary of a Debutante
www.thediaryofadebutante.com
This is sadly, so true! My best friend and I had a major falling out a few years ago, and we have since rekindled our friendship but I REALLY struggle with our friendship because I feel like she isn't invested in our friendship the way she was before!
ReplyDeleteFriendships in general are so hard! Good for you for completely disconnecting!
I've been recently going through something like this. I THOUGHT that two of my best friends would support me through anything, but when I had something major happen in my life and didn't speak to them for a few weeks they said that I "ditched" them and our friendship has been broken ever since, when it was a medical problem. I've deleted them from everything.
ReplyDeleteI've definitely had one too many toxic friends in my life. Without going into major detail, I'll just say I had a huge trauma last year and none of my friends were there for me. Worse than that, if they had been better friends, it would have never happened.
ReplyDeleteLauren