Healthy vs Toxic Friendships

One of the biggest things in a girl’s life is her friends. Friends can be hard to navigate sometimes. It is normal to have drama every now and then, but do you ever wonder if you are with the wrong crowd? It is normal to have arguments every now and then, but you shouldn’t constantly feel upset by your friends! Here is a guide to spotting healthy versus toxic friendships. 

Signs of Toxic Friends

• Lack of Respect: It is important to have boundaries with friends. If you feel like you do not get any personal space, or your friend crosses boundaries, it is important to communicate. Your feelings should never be ignored and it is always valid to feel a certain way whether your friend thinks you are “wrong” or “right”. 
• Constant fighting: Constant drama and gossip all the time that make you stressed out. 
• Lack of Effort: There is not much effort in trying to hang out or do activities. Or, if there is, it can be one-sided.
•  Putting you down: You are constantly feeling like your friends insult you or are negative to you in a certain way. Maybe they aren’t happy for your accomplishments or get annoyed with you for trying to help them.

Signs of Healthy Friends

• Respect and Boundaries: They listen when you say no and respect when you want alone time. Sometimes it is okay to want a break from your friends!
• Healthy Conflicts: It is normal to have conflicts, but you are able to get over your conflicts and resolve them in a way that doesn’t make you feel bad.
• Support: You feel support and trust from your friends. They make you feel like you have someone to talk to if you need help.
• Open Communication: You are able to share how you are feeling with each other in a healthy way. You can ask their advice or you can give your advice to them. You feel like you can be yourself around them. 
• Positive feelings: When you hang out, you feel happy and look forward to seeing them again.

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