Bad friends: should you stay or leave?

Friendships are a huge part of our lives and are often tumultuous things. Everyone has them; we fall in and out of them, and we’ll all remember our friends – good or bad – at the end of our lives.

So, when it comes to bad friends, we usually feel quite conflicted. Bad friends cause a real connundrum in our lives and sometimes we just don’t know what to do about it. Because our loyalties lie with them, we feel guilt when it comes to putting our foot down in the friendship. However, sometimes lines are crossed and a decision must be made.

Bad friends are sometimes difficult to identify. They could be people deliberately excluding you from social gatherings, people who sometimes say mean things to get into your head, people whose loyalties never lie with you regardless of what you give to them, and people who manipulate you.

The line must be drawn with bad friends when you keep on giving and they keep on taking with absolutely nothing in return. At that point, you must put yourself first and walk away. Always remember that you deserve more than a bad friend, no matter how much you love them.

Respect yourself enough to walk away from something that sucks out all of your energy.