
Spending time with friends should increase your sense of connection.Ī toxic friendship might leave you feeling ignored instead. If you notice any of the following signs after spending time with a friend, you may want to consider re-evaluating the friendship. Spending time with people who don’t care about your feelings can eventually affect your emotional and physical health. Toxic friendships can have a pretty significant impact on overall well-being- and not positively. A good friend might suggest you come to their next game night so they can introduce you to a few other friends in a comfortable environment. Say you struggle in social settings and want to get better at meeting new people. If you ask for guidance on something you’d like to change, they might provide support and encouragement - but they’ll probably wait for you to ask instead of telling you what you should do.

Someone who tries to change things about you may not be an ideal friend.Ī true friend understands that people have different personalities, and they’ll accept you for yourself.

They also offer empathy for your concerns, in circumstances good, bad, or anywhere in between. When they finish venting, they offer a token, “And how are you?” before quickly turning the conversation back to themselves. Some friends can go on for an hour about their recent problems. Put themselves front and center - alwaysĮver had a fair-weather friend? They drop in when things are going well or when they need something, but when you’re struggling, you can’t reach them at all. They definitely don’t use peer pressure to get you to do things you’d prefer not to do, either. They won’t compare you to others or imply you’re somehow less than another person. People have their own unique traits and differences, and a good friend will recognize this. Or dressing more like Y would make you cooler. Have a friend who likes to point out the ways you don’t measure up to their other friends? Maybe your apartment is smaller than X’s apartment so it’s not as fun to hang out with you. If you notice this unsettled feeling, consider examining your friendship for other signs that things aren’t quite right. You might not even have a good explanation why, but when you leave them, you feel more relieved than disappointed, and you don’t look forward to spending time with them. Maybe spending time with one particular friend leaves you uneasy or upset. Spending time with a close friend should make you feel good, generally speaking. If you never know how they’ll react, you might have a hard time feeling comfortable around them. Then, the next minute they act as if nothing happened.
#Line friends tv#
Maybe they get extremely irritated and shout at you over tiny things, like forgetting to turn off the TV or not returning a jacket they lent you. No one is entirely predictable, but it’s reasonable to expect someone you trust to mostly express their emotions in safe, healthy ways. Unpredictability alone doesn’t necessarily indicate someone is toxic, but when their reactions could cause harm or feel abusive, it’s wise to proceed with caution.

These non-apologies suggest someone doesn’t really care how their actions affect you. You know the one: “I’m sorry I hurt your feelings, but it was just a joke.“ Instead of taking time to consider your perspective, they say, “I’m sorry you feel that way” or follow up their apology with a defensive “but.” When you call them out on their behavior, they shrug off your distress or give a flippant, “Sorry.” Someone who consistently breaks your trust probably doesn’t care much about your feelings.

Toxic friends might seem to enjoy spreading secrets around, even when you ask them to keep personal information private. You told a friend something in confidence, and the next day, your entire social circle knows the details.Īnyone can slip up and say things they shouldn’t. When a friend regularly demeans you and makes you feel miserable, whether they use more subtle negging tactics or outright insults, your friendship probably isn’t a healthy one. Here’s a look at some other things a toxic friend might do: Put you downįriends often joke with each other, and a little good-natured teasing doesn’t mean your friendship is toxic, especially if you’re laughing, too.
