6 Types of “Friends” to Avoid
(WellnessPursuits.com) – Having friends can help keep us active and give us people to reach out to in times of joy and sorrow. But in some cases, friendship can actually be bad for our health.
When we stay friends with toxic people, we give but we don’t end up getting enough positive benefits from the relationship. But we might be getting plenty of stress, anger and upset. Here are six types of toxic friends we really should avoid to protect our health and well-being.
1. Negative Friends Who Are Never Satisfied
Some people just seem to be unhappy about everything and unsatisfied with life. While it’s normal to have “down” days, look out for friends who are negative all the time. Not only can they bring us down and color our views of the world, they can also leave us feeling negative about things that wouldn’t normally bother us. That can keep us from seeing the good things in life and raise our stress levels, too.
2. Friends Who Thrive on Drama
Life has drama, and there’s no way to get away from all of it when we interact with other people. But we shouldn’t have drama in our lives constantly, and it doesn’t have to be a part of everything we do. Those of us who have friends who are too focused on creating drama around them, or who seek out drama in their relationships and activities, might want to create some distance from them. It’s for your own peace of mind.
3. Rebels Who Are Always Looking for Trouble
Having adventures is a part of life, but there’s a big difference between a thoughtful, planned adventure and doing something dangerous because it sounds like “fun.” Toxic friends with rebel traits can be a big problem because they generally like to do things that could get them (and us) into trouble. None of us need the instability, risk and peer pressure that comes with hanging out with people like this.
4. Friends Who Gossip About Everyone
Friends who talk to us about other people are probably talking to those other people about us, too. Our private business should be able to stay private, and it’s important to be able to confide in our friends. If we can’t trust them with information, feelings, fears and decisions in our lives, what can we trust them with? If they’re gossips, anything we say could be passed along to others. Sometimes, that’s not without consequences for us, especially when we thought we were safe to speak our minds.
5. Friends Who Are Only There When It’s Convenient for Them
Fair-weather friends tend to only be around when they need us and then disappear when they don’t. If they have other friends or get into a relationship, they tend to ignore us unless they’re bored or they break up with their partner. We can find friends who won’t treat us that way and who will be in our lives all the time instead of just when it’s convenient or they need something from us.
6. Anyone Who is Mean or Tries to Control Everything — Including You
Friends should care for each other and never try to mistreat each other. Friends who are mean to you or to other people may not be a good choice for the gift of friendship, to begin with. It’s also usually good to avoid friends who want to control everything about the time spent together. Where we go, what we do and who else we invite should be a decision made by more than just one person. Remember that we have control over our own lives — and that includes who we choose to be friends with.
We don’t have to deal with toxic friends just to have people in our lives. There are ways we can make good friends who care about us and who don’t have toxic traits. Friendship has many benefits when we find the right friends we can count on.
Know your worth and take the time to make good friends you can grow with for the long-term. You’ll feel good about the relationships, and your friends will get benefits from interacting with you, as well.
~Here’s to Your Healthy Pursuits!
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