[photo/two-young-black-women-arguing-friends]
Friendship is something we all desire, and having great friends definitely improves our lives. They are often the people in our lives who make us better.
So why is it that we are so tormented by certain friendships? Some fizzle. Some go sour. Some just grow apart.
There are signs, big signs that we often overlook.
You always do all of the work. If your friendship is one-sided, then it might be time to re-evaluate. But it’s important to remember that good friendships sometimes shift to support one person over the other, depending on the season. So be honest with yourself and ask, Am I always doing all of the work, or am I doing all of the work right now?'
You can’t truly be yourself. If you feel like you need to be someone else when you’re around this person, there is a fear that they don’t accept you for who you really are.
You have very little that feels good about the relationship. If the friendship isn’t adding to your life, then it’s time to dedicate your time to those who do lift you up.
There are trust issues. If you don’t have trust, you don’t have a friendship.
They are immature. There is no room for immaturity in friendships. If someone plays games, gossips or is unable to be an adult when it comes to your friendship it’s time to move on.
Sit down and tell them directly that you don’t want to continue being friends. However, this is a tough approach and can sometimes cause more damage than good. Slowly allow things to drift apart. Just let the friendship progress into non-existence.
But before you move forward and take action in a particular friendship that has gone south, ask yourself what the best approach is true. Is a sit-down conversation really necessary? Or are you able to create personal boundaries with this person and just allow your relationship to break?