Toxic Friends | Signs of a Toxic Friendship

Is your friend toxic?

What’s the difference between a healthy friendship and a toxic one?

This article is about spotting toxic friends and how to see if you are trapped in a toxic friendship.

How to Spot Toxic Friends

When friendship is good, it’s really great – but if it goes bad, it can go really bad. Many victims of toxic friendships stay so for a long time, because they can’t really tell the difference between a healthy and toxic friendship.

They just accept their friend’s awful way of being a friend even if it causes them to experience an onslaught of negative feelings and emotions.

So today we will be looking at the Signs of a Toxic Friendship and how it can have such a draining effect on a person.

*Disclaimer* In this article we aren’t talking about friendship in a normal situation, every friendship has its ups and downs, but when we talk about toxic friendships it becomes more serious and is identified by a combination of the ‘symptoms’ below.

‘Ooh Look at me’.. I’M OVER HERE!!

All About Them –

One sign of a toxic friendship is when a friend is obsessed with themselves, and often leaves you out of discussion.

It’s like you don’t exist and you are merely there to agree with them and make them feel better about themselves.
Conversations always seem to revolve around your friend and the dramas in their life.

This is not even about being a chatterbox, it’s when their only interest is themselves and they can hardly be bothered about what you may have to say.

Ever Mocking You

The next sign of toxic friends is when they are always making fun of your decisions, of point of view, etc. almost as if your whole life is a joke.

You get really nervous about making the slightest mistake around them- because you know they will take it to the next level and laugh hysterically at you, but never with you.
Such a friend constantly teases you about things that you are even sensitive about, because it just seems to provide some sort of entertainment for them.

This sort of friendship is otherwise known as bullying.

I mean, true friends can tell you how distasteful your outfit is in a non-offensive way. Toxic friends make it a pattern to do it in a way that crushes your self-esteem.

Mr/Mrs Negative 24/7

Another characteristic with toxic friends is that they spend most of their time being negative.

Whether it is moaning, or criticizing your other friends- you’ll always catch them doing it.
Everything they see and think is associated with negative emotions or carries a hint of spite.

You really know you’ve got a toxic friend when something happens to both of you - and your friend’s version of events is so grossly exaggerated- to make everyone seem cruel, while they look innocent.

Becomes Physically Tiring

After a while a toxic friendship can become physically draining/tiring.

If you are always bombarded with negative thoughts you may unconsciously absorb them, and this will leave you feeling mentally exhausted.

Maybe this friend requests for endless, unreasonable favours from you, or (in effect) demands for compliments before they can get anything major done. This can make you feel quite weak.
Just the thought of the vain talks she gives you over coffee break is enough to make you feel tired and fed up.
When they call you to come over you get sluggish because you know it entails far more drama than you can handle.

Friendship’s meant to be fun and exhilarating, it’s not supposed to make you feel like your friend’s hopeless slave.

Phone calls are hand bells

Yup. The kind of friend that only calls when they need something from you.

This is one of the most common signs that people use to identify toxic friends.
Healthy Friendships are balanced, so if you find that you are constantly there for your friend- but they seem to disappear when you need them – something’s not right.

Needing you isn’t necessarily the problem – it’s the fact that they would prefer your relationship to be a one-way stream. Getting all, but giving none.

Major Back-Stabber

The next sign of toxic friends is when they lie about you and say absolutely horrible things behind your back. To the point where it’s actually vicious slander.

I think we’ve all felt apprehensive at one time about whether our friend truly has our back or is getting ready to stab us in the back.
A toxic friend will gossip about you and sometimes, they won’t even hide it – it will be plain obvious.

The thing is, people who spread lies about you, are not your friends. Simple. And toxic people will always do this in the hopes that others won’t find you so attractive.

Everything Single Thing is a Competition

Another trait of toxic friends is that they will turn everything into a competition and get moody when you seem to do better.

They are never content to go hand in hand with you. No, they have to be better than you, and just can’t stand it when you advance in some way.
Competition can be healthy, and it can motivate us to be better versions of ourselves, but when it comes to toxic friends- it’s always an unhealthy spirit.

You achieve something that you are proud of, then they try to outdo you, mainly to rub it in your face.

Forever Ditching You

Toxic friends use you when they need to – then run away fast.

If it comes to doing something they enjoy and take pride in, they will always pick another friend over you.
You are just their emergency backup or there so they don’t look lonely.

It’s really sad when this happens, because it so obvious that the friendship is non-existent and that you are just a ‘fill in’ for whoever they will be rushing too next. Not right, and not fair.

The Dangerous Friend

The last type of toxic friend that we will be looking at is the friend who is a bad influence on you.

It's true, and you just know that the friendship does you no good- in fact it makes you more likely to get yourself in trouble.
Being with this kind of friend is actually dangerous- because you never know what sort of pressure will be lurking around the corner.
Sometimes this friend means well, but their standards are far too low for you to become close to them.

A friend shouldn’t make you feel uncomfortable and unsafe, so it’s best for you to take step away from this sort of person.

Do any of these signs sound familiar? Maybe its time to reassess your friendship (& end it), or tell your friend how you feel about what’s going on. The relationships we have with others play an important role in good health and sanity!

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