Whether we like it or not, it is no secret that the people who we surround ourselves with define who we are. The people who we choose to befriend consciously, and sometimes unconsciously, shape how we act: our hobbies, preferences, feelings, and moods.

Though we cannot choose our family members, we can choose our friends which makes them special, and particularly influential over our lives. If you are the type of friend and person that I am, you take friendships very seriously.

You would do absolutely anything for your friends, helping them through both the good time and the bad times. However, if you have a friend who makes you question why you're their friend, and you always find yourself making up excuses for them, that "friend" might be toxic.

Typically, when people discuss toxicity and the toxic people in their lives, they refer to somebody who they were, or are, romantically involved with. Yet people seem to overlook the fact friendships can be just as toxic, if not more toxic than romantic relationships.

You might be wondering, why are toxic relationships discussed more than toxic friendships? It is because it is harder to pick out a toxic friend than it is to pick out a toxic significant other.

One might be completely blindsided by how bad a friend of theirs has become and typically, people are unaware of the problem at hand. Regardless, there are things there are visible signs of toxic friendships that anyone can see if they look hard enough.

If you feel taken for granted, or if you find your friends treating you badly and then refusing to change their behaviors, they are probably a toxic friend. If you are the only person putting effort into the friendship, and if they snap at you for no apparent reason, they are probably toxic.

If you find yourself in this sort of friendship, your friendship may be taking a turn for the worst. Though you might want to cut the friendship off at that point, you should try to approach them about it first.

Ideally, its best to have an open conversation where every party involved can express their feelings, but, if that doesn't work, it's time to consider more drastic measures.

It's important that you aren't hard on yourself; because once you do realize that the friendship is ending you may find yourself upset, and possibly blaming yourself for what happened when it was not your fault in any way, shape or form.

Through my experience, I had to let many friendships go over the years because I felt inadequate and unappreciated. At first, I blamed myself thinking that maybe there was something that I did to deserve that.

Then, I came to the realization that friendship is a two-way street, and I, just like everyone else deserve friends that care about me and put as much effort into maintaining the friendship as I do.

It's important that we appreciate the good friends that we have, the ones who keep us from falling apart when it feels like everything is going wrong. I have lots of friends who are always there for me and I will always cherish them.

Although it may be painful at first, cutting off a toxic friendship is better in the long run. Nobody deserves to be stuck in a toxic friendship.