Last Updated on May 25, 2022 by Christin
If you feel like your friendship is no longer serving you, do you have to stay friends with them or can you move on with your life? Ending a friendship is not easy, but sometimes it is necessary in order to protect yourself. If you think that staying friends with someone is no longer in your best interest, then don’t be afraid to end the friendship. Your happiness is more important than keeping someone in your life who doesn’t make you happy.
What Are The Drawbacks Of Staying Friends With Someone You No Longer Want To Be Friends With?
There are a few drawbacks to staying friends with someone you no longer want to be friends with.
First, it can be emotionally draining to continue spending time with someone who is no longer enjoyable to be around.
Additionally, it can be difficult to see this person moving on with their life while you yourself are stuck in the same place.
Finally, staying friends with someone you no longer want to be friends with can prevent you from meeting new people and forming new relationships.
9 Signs That It’s Time To Move On From A Friendship?
How do you know it’s time to end a friendship? There are some signs to watch out for, including:
- You consistently feel bad after spending time with this person.
- You no longer have anything in common with this person.
- This person is always negative and brings you down.
- This person is toxic and causes drama.
- You feel like you are being used by this person.
- This person is never there for you when you need them.
- You don’t trust this person.
- This person makes you feel bad about yourself.
- You just don’t enjoy spending time with this person anymore.
None of these signs indicate that your friendship is going well. They demonstrate that your friendship is suffering in some way and not serving you well anymore.
Why stay in a friendship that makes you feel bad, causes problems, doesn’t support you, or is emotionally draining?
How To End A Friendship
If you’ve decided that it’s time to end a friendship, there are a few steps you can take to make the process as smooth as possible.
1. Talk To The Person About Your Decision
It’s important to be honest with the person you’re ending the friendship with. Tell them why you’re making this decision and why you think it’s best for both of you. This conversation may be difficult, but it will help the other person understand your decision and could potentially help them move on as well.
2. Avoid Ghosting
Ghosting, or suddenly cutting off all communication with someone without any explanation, is not a respectful way to end a friendship. It will only leave the other person feeling confused and hurt, and they will have a harder time moving on with their lives.
3. Be Prepared For A Negative Reaction
The person you’re ending the friendship with may not take your decision well. They may become angry or upset, and they may try to convince you to change your mind. Be firm in your decision and remember that you are doing this for your own well-being.
4. Don’t Feel Guilty
Ending a friendship is not a bad thing. It doesn’t mean you’re a terrible person, and it doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with the other person. Sometimes friendships just naturally come to an end, and that’s okay.
5. Give Yourself Time To Grieve
It’s normal to feel sad or even angry after ending a friendship. Allow yourself to grieve the loss of the relationship and give yourself time to move on.
Cutting ties with someone you used to be close to is never easy, but sometimes it’s necessary.
What To Do If You Feel Like You’ve Made A Mistake?
If you’ve ended a friendship and you’re starting to second-guess your decision, it’s important to give yourself some time before making any rash decisions.
1. Take Some Time To Yourself
Spend some time alone and really think about why you decided to end the friendship in the first place. Are you still feeling the same way? Are there any other factors that you didn’t consider before?
2. Talk To Somebody Else About It
It can be helpful to talk to somebody else about your decision and get their perspectives. They may be able to offer some insight that you hadn’t considered before.
3. Give It Some Time
It’s possible that you just need some time to adjust to the change. Give it a few weeks and see how you’re feeling. If you still feel like you made a mistake, then you can reach out to the other person and try to repair the friendship.
What To Do If Your Friend Won’t Stop Trying To Reach You?
If your ex-friend won’t stop trying to reach you after you’ve ended the friendship, there are a few steps you can take to deal with the situation.
1. Ignore Their Attempts To Contact You
This may be difficult, but it’s important to ignore any attempts by your ex-friend to contact you. This includes phone calls, text messages, emails, and any other form of communication.
If you are constantly engaging with them, then they will hold on to the hope that they can fix the friendship. If you are not engaging them, however, they will realize that you are serious and the friendship is over as far as you are concerened.
2. Block Them On Social Media
Blocking them on social media will help limit their ability to reach you and will make it easier for you (and them) to move on.
3. Get Help From A Professional
It can be mentally draining to deal with someone who won’t accept that the relationship is over and wants to stay friends. Sometimes you may even find yourself wanting to give in and get back into the friendship just because it’s too big of a hassle to keep going on with their harassment.
If you’re struggling to deal with the situation on your own, you may need to seek professional help. A therapist or counselor can help you manage your emotions and cope with the ending of the friendship.
