My friends know me as the girl who radiates warmth and cares about every person she meets. However, in terms of relationships, the past few years have changed my perspective on how generous and free I should be with my time. I'm finally starting to feel the effects of wearing your heart on your sleeve in front of people who don't have your best interests in mind. Not surprisingly, it turns out that giving my 100 percent to everyone, and every relationship I have, is not the best way for me to handle life anymore. Although this has had great effects on some of the people I've met, it's left me totally drained when people take advantage of my kindness. I am the CEO of giving my all (and then some) and now my energy sources are scarce.

I feel like I'm in a drought of emotional energy. Naturally, I have had to stop watering dead plants.

Yes, I gave a lot of my effort and love… to a lot of people. The pro is that this has left me with some immensely deep connections that I cherish. These connections are with people who mutually make me happy and meet me halfway in our friendship. As for the con, I slowly realized that a lot of people didn't deserve my time. It turns out that kind and forgiving people are magnets for one-sided relationships. You know, the relationships where they give you 50 percent when you give your 100, and they still expect you to stick around? Since you have been such a good friend to them regardless of how unfairly they treated you, they take you for granted. You're always showing up for them, but when you need someone they are never there for you. They will tell you how important you are, and great of a friend you are to them, and how much they would never want to lose you. However, they really don't act like they want to keep you.

You bring more to the table than they do, and the truth is – as much as they say they want you in their life, it isn't fair that they can't even reciprocate their half of the deal. Relationships are a two-way street, and frankly, you would be better off without them.

I decided enough was enough and at the end of the day, it was my decision to stay in these toxic relationships. Out of love for myself, I had no choice but to pull out the metaphorical scissors... or at the very least distance myself enough so their lack of care would no longer negatively impact me. We all deserve happy and mutually beneficial friendships. Being someone's crutch, therapist, or cheerleader, when they couldn't care less about you, is not a healthy dynamic to uphold. It's especially unhealthy when you are this person for several people. Once you realize that you are constantly feeling neglected or used, it's time to reevaluate your situation. Stop worrying about being friends to people who don't appreciate you and be a better friend yourself by refusing to associate with people who make you feel like you're not worth their time-of-day. And no – that one isolated incident that they were awesome that one time doesn't make up for the past several weeks, months, or years. Stop making excuses for them and letting people getting away with treating you like you are nothing. We have all the power to decide where we spend our energy. Don't let yourself drown in the disappointment of being friends to people who are not friends to you.