Now, it might sound a bit harsh to “get rid” of someone, but it’s my belief that life is just too short to spend it with people who are bad for you. In fact, these people are so common that they have a name: toxic friends.

Toxic friends are no fun. While I’ve spent way too much time “feeling bad” about certain friends and keep them in my life, I’ve learnt that at the end of the day, life is too short to be spending it with people who wear you out or don’t treat you right – there is simply no need for a toxic people in your life. So here’s an article that puts it bluntly: how to get rid of toxic friends.

Types of Toxic Friends

There are so many, but I think it’s safe to say that unfortunately, these are the most popular:

THE DRAMA QUEEN: She thrives on gossip, scandal and drama. The antics on Gossip Girl and Revenge are child’s play to her!

THE WET BLANKET: This type of 'friend' only calls when there is something wrong in their life; which is like all the time.

THE GREEN EYED MONSTER: This ‘friend’ is almost happy when something bad happens to you, and she makes these little quips; subtly criticizing you and/or making everything a competition.

THE USER: Self-explanatory. This type of 'friend' is an opportunist on steroids! They only see something in you they want, and they are gonna get it. Unfortunately, users are everywhere.

THE FAKE FRIEND: the fake friend is usually all of the above, under the guise that they are a good friend, which is probably the most dangerous. The others are pretty obvious they are toxic friends, but the fake friend is deceitful, and their friendship with you has an ulterior motive.

IDENTIFYING THE TOXIC FRIEND.

The best way to identify a toxic friend is to see how they make you feel. If you feel just one of the points below, it’s safe to say you have a toxic friend in your life:

You feel ‘down’ after spending time with this person. Whether it’s about what they talk about or whether they just a negative, depressing vibe about them.
You feel anxious and/or afraid when you see their name pop up on the screen, notifying you of a text message, or an email, a Tweet, etc.
You feel tired, emotionally drained, defeated, frustrated and stressed out after meeting with this person.
You don’t feel comfortable or just have a “bad feeling” about this person. Trust your instincts, they are there for a reason.

A quick toxic friends test

There is a quote I read many, many years ago and I use it to kinda “gauge” what I am willing to put up with in a friendship, which is to treat it like a romantic relationship. Ask yourself: If this were a partner, would you put up with their behavior? Sure, we all have our ups and downs, but if your toxic friend is behaving in a way that if a boyfriend did, would you still stay with him? If the answer is no, then you know what to do.

Ways to Deal with a Toxic Friend

1. START GETTING BOUNDARIES. The first thing you can try is to set some boundaries. Some friends could just be having a tough time in life and don’t mean to be a toxic friend. However, when you are ‘helping’ a friend and they are just hurting you in the process, nothing productive is gonna happen. So you have to start saying no.

If your friend starts complaining about that some old thing again, hold up your hand and stop it: “Sorry, I don’t want to hear about that anymore.” Or stop picking up their 20 phone calls a day when they break up with that loser boyfriend… again and again and again.

The reality is that you can do everything to try to help someone, but if they don’t want to change their situation or change themselves, nothing will change. At the end of the day, it’s up to them, not you – you cannot help someone who doesn’t want to help themselves. Be kind to others, yes, but also be kind to yourself.

2. HAVE “The Talk”. If setting up some boundaries doesn’t work, it’s time for a choice: you either need to end this friendship, or give it one last try.

If you want to give this friendship a chance, meet up with your friend, and share your feelings. Or write an email if that’s easier. Tell them politely what’s been going on. If they listen and take into consideration what you’re saying, then great! Perhaps you can still be friendly towards each other and just dial it back a bit.

However, if they become defensive, blame it on you, start a fight, etc… that’s when you need to end that friendship. Say what you need to say (“goodbye” usually gets the point across) and then mean it. Do not continue to answer their calls or entertain any other form of communication after you’ve made it clear you are walking out of the friendship.

3. SLOWLY DRIFT AWAY. This is the coward approach on your part, but probably the “kindest” for your toxic friend. During your lifetime you’ll have many friendships come and go; and some just drift away and run its course. That’s OK. Not everyone is meant to be BFFs. These usually happen naturally, but if you want to get rid of a friend this is also an option – all you need to do is slowly “drift away”. It’s very easy: just start getting busy… VERY busy. Focus on your true friendships and keep busy with those friends, and you’ll have no time for the toxic ones! If they ask, just keep telling them you’re busy and can’t meet up, etc. If they’re smart, they’ll get the message and leave you alone.



4. PULL A HOUDINI. This is for the really toxic friends – abusers, users, or friends that you’ve found out are involved in illegal or other wrong activities, or people you just get that “bad feeling” about. Or of course, anyone you don’t want to be friends with anymore, especially if there are many of them.

I’ll admit that there was a time I played a huge Houdini act. Many years ago, I got into a crowd that wasn’t the best for me, emotionally. It got very destructive and I wanted out… so I pulled a Houdini. I felt really bad, especially initially; but if a relationship is at the point where it’s damaging, you need to get out. So I just disappeared. If it’s an institution you always see those friends in (school, part time job, sports groups, etc); stop going and go to a new one. And then change your cell phone number and social media accounts. Poof, gone! Just like Houdini.

At the end of the day, there’s really no nice way to end a friendship. It’s always sad when something ends.

Cc
Lalasticlala
Ishilove