Do you have a friend who makes you question why they are your friend? Maybe they criticize you and expect you to take the heat, but when you tell them the truth they get mad and ignore you for days.
Regardless of who they are, some friendships aren't worth keeping. No one deserves to be in a toxic friendship. There is nothing worse than a friend who walks all over you like a welcome mat and does not truly value the meaning of friendship.
It's hard to end a friendship especially when they are still someone you talk to and confide in. I have the hardest time letting go of people because I always want to see the best in them, but in reality, those friends are the ones holding me back.
I remember telling one of my best friends since elementary school about one of my toxic friendships. I couldn't see it at the time, but she could. I would defend my toxic friend saying, "She is still a good person". I felt like I would know if I had a toxic friend. The truth is, you don't know if you have a toxic friend until someone starts pointing out the signs.
It almost sounds like a toxic friendship is like a toxic relationship and in a way it is. People are quick to say no one deserves to be in a relationship where the person degrades you, so why do we stay in toxic friendships? Why should we let a friend belittle us and point out all of our flaws? Why do we stay friends with people who treat us like a backup plan when their plans fall through?
True friends hold you accountable and they will tell you the truth. It may not be what we want to hear, but it is what we need to hear. Toxic friends seem to only care about themselves and their problems. Whenever you have a personal problem they are quick to say something that only hurts you more than the situation itself, or they turn the conversation back to themselves as if you don't even matter.
The worst feeling in the world is when you lose a friend, but sometimes losing that friend is for the better. When I lost one of my toxic friends I was sad, but then I realized she was the worst person for me. She tried to break up one of my friendships, and she would say the meanest things to my face ,and yet I thought she was my friend. Truth is, those friends are not and will never be true friends.
It is okay to let go of toxic friends. You don't need people like that in your life. If your friends aren't going to encourage you, lift you up, listen to you when you are down or treat you like the real gem you are then those friends need to be cut out of your life.
Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be friends with one of my toxic friends again, but then I remember that they do not value our friendship as much as I did. They did not truly care for me as much as I did them, and I realized that it is better to let them go than to hold on to that toxic friendship again.
So let go of your toxic friendships. It may be hard, and at times it may seem like it was a bad choice, but after awhile you will realize your worth is so much more than that friendship had to offer.
