We all have those friends who we thought were great at first only to become absolute monsters later on. The question is how to get rid of them before they get rid of you. It can be hard to cut ties with friends, especially if you had known them for years, but in the long run it is far better to get rid of the friendships that are harmful and make new ones that are more beneficial.
Here are some tips for dealing with the friends who end up making your life hell and how to get them out of your life.
1. Delete them from social media apps.
Social media has become the go-to way to bring people together and communicate, but it has also become an unfortunately perfect tool for people to bully each other as well. Many arguments occur over Facebook or through private messages on Tumblr, but thankfully these apps provide ways to cut the friends you don’t want to talk to out of the picture. Facebook has a variety of settings in which you can delete or even ‘block’ certain people from being able to send you posts or messages. Tumblr has a similar ‘ignore’ feature in which you completely block a person’s blog from appearing on your feed.
2. Remove those phone numbers.
Everyone keeps their friends contact info somewhere on their smartphones. You’ll probably be tempted to try and call them to reconcile, but when even a simple chat can go sour, it is often best to just delete the numbers and move on. If those toxic friends still want to communicate with you, let them know that you are deleting their contact info for a while and ceasing communications until things become more peaceful. As they say, time heals all wounds and sometimes putting things on hold can allow people to have time to themselves and calm down.
3. Take a break.
Sometimes we just need a break from being with others and this is especially true when friends start to turn on each other. It can pay to take a step back and have some time to yourself for a while. Rather than going out with friends who may be making you feel bad, stay home and watch a movie or read a good book. You can even take this time alone to catch up on school work.
4. Make New Friends
Sometimes the only option left after cutting ties with old friends is to make new ones to fill the gap they left behind. There are plenty of ways to make friends here at EMU from joining one of the many clubs to even going to your dorm lounge (if you live in the dorms) and seeing who might be relaxing there and just saying hello.
These tips should prove helpful when it comes to dealing with toxic friendships and here’s hoping there are more good friends to come.
