Throughout each stage in life, some friends get left behind.
From high school to college I've witnessed the biggest shift in my friends from a group of countless girls to a small circle of friends I lovingly refer to as "squad." It's easy to feel horrible about completely shutting some people out of your life who once had a significant role and moving on to new friends, but I'm here to assure you that it's OK to let go.
It's natural to outgrow people, whether that involves a friend no longer giving you good energy or no longer sharing a positive connection. Sometimes this can be mutually drifting apart, or having a falling out where the other person involved may not even understand what happened.
If people are no longer benefiting you, it's OK to let go. If a person only brings negativity into your life, constantly giving them your good energy can bring you down.
Do you have that one person who, whenever you are around them, you feel drained? This can include feeling depleted of energy (literally) or feeling like you give so much without getting anything in return. It may be time to rid of that negative presence from your life. That can seem like a daunting task, but allowing people to go is OK. Life is too short to dwell on people who don't deserve your good energy.
When transitioning to a new chapter in your life, it's OK to leave people behind. This does not solely refer to graduating or moving away. This can be realizing what you want in life and most importantly what you don't want.
While growing apart from a friend, these people who bring negativity to your life may claim that you are changing. Change is good. This may signify evolving into a better version of yourself, which may not include certain people in your life. It's easy to feel alone during this process of letting people go, but focus on the quality of your circle as apposed to the quantity.
This process of letting people go can be seen as being selfish. Similarly to how changing has a negative connotation but in reality, it is a positive thing, being selfish is not always bad. Focusing on bettering yourself and increasing your happiness is a good thing. While time becomes less plentiful in our busy lives, it is not worthy of those who don't benefit you and the goals you want to achieve in your life.
The one piece of advice that I want to resonate is that everyone that you let go of is not always a loss. Don't get me wrong, it can be heartbreaking to let go of someone who you have memories with, exposed secrets to and shared laughs with.
But it's OK to let go of people who no longer contribute to your wellbeing.
