Toxic Friendships: Unfriend: Breaking up is hard to do–especially when it comes to friends

From the article by Samantha Strong:

What is a toxic friend?

Sometimes friendships take a turn for the worst when one person in the relationship becomes manipulative or abusive. They are sometimes referred to as toxic friends.

A toxic friend is someone who brings out the worst in you, according to Psychology Today. Not only do you feel unhappy after being around them, you find yourself disappointed, unfulfilled, disrespected and angry after spending time with them.

They may put friends down when you expect them to pick you up, and are often unsupportive or overly demanding. They focus on themselves when you talk about your own life and make you feel inferior.

This person should be easy to ditch, right?  For some reason these friendships are sometimes the hardest to end, experts say. Often one of the people in the relationship may feel trapped because they’ve been friends since a young age. Some feel the toxic friend has no one else to turn to, according to WebMD.com.

Moraine Park Technical College student Nicole Menard said she ended a friendship of three years when it took a toxic turn.

“Over time she changed,” Menard, 33, said. “The person I wanted to be friends with in the first place disappeared.”

Another MPTC student, 20-year-old Elizabeth Weninger, ended a seven-year friendship because her friend began spreading rumors.

“I was getting voicemails and hearing things that weren’t true,” Weninger said. “It ruined high school for me.”

At times, toxic friendships can turn into dangerous situations such as stalking, threats or other forms of abuse. Don’t respond, Brewer advises, other than to explain that you will communicate with the facts and involve the police if the behavior does not stop.

“You have the right to feel safe and valued in your friendships with others and to leave that relationship if you do not,” Anderson said. “If the friendship is important to you, try communicating the changes you would like or need to see.”  —Breaking Up is Hard to Do–Especially When it Comes to Friends

My own story of toxic friendship is here.