I’ve had plenty of friends throughout my life, but only some that I’d consider to be good friends. I have friends who grew up with me and then we fell apart, and some that I recently met that are already a huge part of my life. What I’ve learned about friendships is that they’re not all the same. People are different and you are bound to get along differently with one person, versus another person.

When you start getting older, you realize what type of people you like being around. Whether you like the outgoing friends who go out every night, or those who rather chill at home with a good movie, every friend is different. No matter what you do with your friends, you’re bound to have a good time. But there’s always something you need to keep in mind when picking friendships. You need to keep in mind that not all friends are good friends. There are friends that you love but may be bad for you to be around.

Don’t stay around those friends who pressure you into doing things you don’t want to do. If your friends like to drink and you don’t and they keep trying to convince you, they’re probably not good friends. Good friends understand that you don’t like certain things and won’t pressure you into doing it. If you feel like your friends are trying to change you and it makes you uncomfortable, try getting out of that friendship.

Teasing comes along with the friendship packet. I tease all of my friends but there’s a difference between friendly teasing and bullying. If your friends are constantly calling you names or making you feel bad, stay away from them. Calling someone a name once in a while is different than making them feel like crap every time they talk to you. It’s even worse if they try to pressure you do to things and they call you names when you say no.

You also shouldn’t have friends that ignore you. If you keep having to send multiple texts just to get their attention, they’re probably people you shouldn’t have around. You shouldn’t have toxic people in your life and you definitely shouldn’t’ have to beg people for their attention. If someone acts like it’s a big honor to get their attention, then they definitely do not deserve yours.

Good friends are those who take time to listen to what you have to say. They’ll listen to you, do their best to understand, and they’ll probably answer their texts from you better than anyone else. Good friends are those who accept who you are and don’t spend their time pressuring you to change. Friends are people you can vent to, relate to, and have a good time with. They’re not people who should make you feel bad about yourself and make you question your value. Don’t waste your time trying to please people or trying to force friendships with people. Know your value and accept the friendships you deserve.