31 May 2020

Trying to tell a friend that they’re not good for you is difficult. And no one said it would ever be easy. But in the end, it may be for the best to ditch your toxic friendship. Here are ten things you'll learn from it.

1. Goodbyes are difficult

Regardless of the situation, the goodbyes are always going to hurt. At a point in time, this person and your friendship with them was important to you. The memories you made, the laughs, the smiles and tears you shared together; it's all going to hit you at once, a flashback of memories, and saying goodbye to those memories will hurt.

2. You’ll learn to know your own self worth

You will finally have the freedom to make your own decisions and get a better perspective on your own life. You will soon learn that you deserved so much more than what you were getting.

3. You’re going to learn what real friendship is

Friendship is all about support, trust and being there for one another. You'll realise that your toxic friendship was never healthy, nor was it ever going to be, because all it ever did was emotionally damage both of you.

 

4. You’ll learn to trust your instincts

You’ll better understand what those feelings in the pit of your stomach are trying to tell you. When you get that feeling that something isn’t right, you’ll learn to listen and trust those feelings.

5. Settling isn’t worth it in the end

Don’t settle for half-hearted friendships, for always being a back-up plan or a second option. 

6. The good memories don't always make up for the bad

One day you’re going to look back on this friendship and realise that you were never truly happy. Sure you made some good memories and there were times where you felt like you were having the time of your life. But sometimes this isn't enough to make up for the rest of it and you'll learn to start looking at experiences with more perspective.

7. You are in control of your own life

You will come to learn that you and only you can control your life and happiness. You can't depend on other people to keep you happy and you're responsible for creating your own fulfillment.

8. You’ll get better at letting go

While ending the toxic friendship will hurt, eventually, it won’t and you'll realise that letting things go is something that can be learnt and practiced. You'll be better prepared for the future and go into new friendships with the lessons learnt from old ones.

9. It’s okay to miss them

It’s normal to miss a mate that used to mean the world to you. It'll happen more often than you like, but that's okay.

10. You'll value your good friends more

You will be so incredibly grateful for the friends that you have. Remove yourself from those toxic friendships, and watch as you laugh a little louder, smile a little bigger and live just a lil bit better.

by Georgia Camilleri