Beware of These Friendship Red Flags
When we think of toxic people and relationships, the first things that come to mind are romantic partners, family members, and bosses. But friends can also fall into this category. Whether it’s someone you’ve known for years (but are only now realizing they’re manipulative) or someone you’ve only recently met, the people we think of as “friends” can actually be major sources of stress and suffering in our lives. our life.
But because we tend to think our friends are on our side, it can be hard to recognize when someone is doing more harm than good in our lives. This can be especially difficult if we’ve known them for a long time and have come to normalize their behavior or write it off as part of their personality. To identify potentially toxic friendships, look out for these red flags.
Friendship Red Flag Examples
Since every relationship is different, there is no standard list of red flags to look out for in every friendship. However, there are some scenarios that are more common and more worrying than others. Here are some examples:
- You are afraid to spend time with this person and after that you feel even worse .
- Relationships are one-sided , when one person makes all the plans and / or makes every effort to stay in touch.
- They treat you like their therapist , expecting you to listen and answer all their concerns, but you will never have the time or interest in your life.
- They only reach out or act like your friend when they need something from you.
- They constantly criticize you and your life choices , as well as things you don’t necessarily control, such as aspects of your appearance, health, and your family.
- They often give you unsolicited advice and expect you to follow it, even after you have politely (even several times) asked them not to.
And, of course, if a friend (or anyone else) physically abuses you in any way, that’s a universal red flag and a clear sign that this shouldn’t happen in your life.