“Friends come and go,” they say, “but it’s the true ones that stay.” Sometimes, what they don’t tell you about are the toxic friends that stick around. They don’t tell you how to navigate those friendships or even tell you that it’s okay to ditch the friends who have been a part of your life for the past several years.
Recently, I made the decision to cut some toxic friends out of my life. It was difficult but honestly, I just wished I had done it sooner and saved myself unnecessary emotional turmoil.
The most important lesson I learned from this experience was that it is okay to think for yourself, to make decisions based on your needs. I learned that putting my own mental health and happiness at risk just for the sake of keeping other people happy was not worth it.
The emotional toll it cost me to have them in my life was lifted and I no longer felt held back. I no longer felt my self-esteem being torn down and more importantly, I felt at ease, not constantly worrying about how I would deal with them on our next encounter.
This whole experience has made me look over all my other relationships and reevaluate myself as a friend and values important to me. None of us are immune to being toxic, and I wanted to make sure I wasn’t the toxicity in someone else’s life.
From the moment I made my decision, I felt liberated and knew it was the right move. Do I still wish that we could have had a positive friendship? Of course, I do, but I cannot put myself in that position again, hoping that they will change.
Every situation is different and everyone is different; it’s all a matter of deciding what’s best for you.
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