Tell me who your friends are, and I’ll tell you who you are. Most of the time, we are not aware of how much our friends influence us. Sure, we’ve been with them for years and we’ve accepted them in spite of their flaws, but old habits die hard and you don’t know how much worse these bad habits can get if you don’t get to confront them or (in worst case scenarios) avoid them.
5. The Ranter
“Ohmygod, you will not believe what happened to me today!!! @#$%&!!!!!” (I also wouldn’t have believed what happened to you yesterday, and the day before that, and the two days before.) If your conversations always start like this, I think it’s high time to find a friend who’s less dramatic and doesn’t make a big deal out of a lot of things. Good vibes > bad vibes. Always.
4. The Friend With The Invisibility Cloak
She’s not always present, but she’s always there for the big moments. Big moments aka when she needs to borrow heels for the party tomorrow, when she doesn’t have enough change to pay for the cab, and when she needs an alibi for her date. Girl, you are not a tool, so stop allowing people to use you as they please.
3. The Backstabber
You thought she was your friend, but apparently not. This girl will secretly try to bring you down while giving you a slice (or two) of a damn good pizza. Have a hot date for Friday night? Suddenly, your nene photos on Facebook reappear. Almost close to a promotion? She will “accidentally” delete that presentation you’ve been working on for weeks. If things get even worse, it’s high time to confront this “friend”.
2. The Liar
Your group of friends decide to hang out on Saturday and she says she needs to stay home to take care of her siblings, but then you see her at the park with her boyfriend? How many times have you caught her lying about what she’s doing or where she’s going? You let her know that she can trust you with anything, but she doesn’t just keep things to herself – she outright lies about it. Who is this person, really? And what other things is she hiding from you? Every relationship needs honesty and trust; and if your friendship doesn’t have that, that ship is going down.
1. The Mean Girl
Is she friend or foe? Most of the time, you don’t really know. When you tally the number of mean things she has said to you versus the compliments you’ve received from her, you’ll be lucky if you even have a few of the latter. She’s a great person, really. It’s just that you wonder if she even has anything nice to say to you (or anyone). Yes, you can take criticism, but as Adele said: “I have insecurities, of course, but I don’t hang out with anyone who //constantly// points them out to me.” With all of the judgment in the world, it would always be nicer to have a support group to cheer you up instead of bringing you down.
Got any types of friends you think are toxic? Leave a comment below and help console or give advice to fellow modern Filipinas!