Toxic

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You know those people. They're always sarcastic, they make everything about them, they're all take and no give, you're never their first priority, and, quite frankly, you feel terrible whenever your around them. Yet you still call them your friend. To put it bluntly, they're toxic.

Why do we put up with these people in our lives? Friends should be kind, supportive, caring. They should make you feel good about yourself, rather than killing your self-esteem. And yet everyone has had at least one friend that's just no good.

We need to realize that no matter hard much we might want them to, they're not going to change. For as long as they're around, you'll always be second-guessing yourself, doubting the validity of your own opinions when they don't match up, and wondering what you did wrong. But you know what? You are worth more than that. You deserve friends who make you laugh; people who aren't condescending or overly sarcastic (trust me, there's a thin line between joking and just plain being cruel); someone who accepts you, regardless of your flaws.

So cut the toxic friends out of your life. And, if you don't think you can do that (whether that's because you care about them too much or you have a lot of mutual friends), cut back the amount of time you spend with them one-on-one.

Believe me, it's hard. I've dealt with more than my fair share of toxic friends, but it's so much better once you finally leave the negativity behind and find friends who truly care about you. Trust me.