Why it's important to leave toxic friendships

 Well hello to you my reader chums! I'm very lucky to say I have the most incredible friends in the world and I'm forever thankful to surround myself with powerful, inspiring, and supportive women who are always there for me, boost me up when I need it and are always cheering me on.

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However, I haven't always been so lucky with friends and over the years, especially when I was a teen, I had more toxic friendships who didn't have my best interests at heart. And, through getting older and realising my worth, I've also realised that I didn't need their friendship in my life.

Whether you have a toxic friendship or you need the boost to leave that friendship, here is why it's important to leave toxic friendships.

To help your mental health

I always say if something is affecting your mental health then it's not worth your time and effort and that goes with anything from your job to friendships. Your mental health should be your number one priority in life and everything you do and how you live should prioritise what's good for your mind. A happy mind is the best way to lead a happy life.

If a toxic friendship is taking up a negative space mentally, causing a spike in anxiety, or making you feel worthless, then it's not worth having. Leaving a friendship can be hard, especially if you have a long history, however, it's crucial if it's affecting your mental health. I can assure you, by taking a step away from a toxic friendship, your mind will start to feel a lot freer and you can fill it with happy and positive thoughts, rather than the toxic energy the friendship was bringing. And, it'll give you the opportunity to heal.

To give you the space for better friendships

If you're spending a lot of your free time pursuing toxic friendships, whether that's talking or making plans with that person or group, then you lose a lot of your time to pursue better and healthier friendships. It can be hard to walk away if you feel it'll make you lonely, however, it's better to be lonely and know you did what's better for you than staying in a toxic situation.

Once you take the step away from the toxic friendship, then you'll also realise how much free space you have in terms of socialisation. And, you can use that to start to find other friends, whether that's at work, online, or friends of friends. There may be someone you've wanted to message in a while, but we're worried about what your friends thought or didn't feel you had the time to pursue another friendship, and now that'll give you the chance. Plus, however, you feel in yourself will always radiate what you put out into the universe. For instance, if you're now feeling better for the relationship with yourself and more pore positive, this energy will radiate out and you'll attract like-minded individuals.

To realise your worth

Knowing your self-worth, realising your good enough and that you deserve better is the most important thing. You don't deserve to be mugged off, to be taken advantage of or bullied by people you call 'friends.' By walking away from toxic friendships and being out of a negative environment, you'll have the time and energy to focus on working on yourself - and it'll make you realise how you deserve more.

You deserve to be surrounded by like-minded people who support our decisions, offer helpful advice, cheer you on, and most importantly ae loyal to you. Good friendships are incredibly important and they'll also reassure you that you deserve the best.

To put your time into better things

Time is a powerful and important thing, we only get so much of it and that means, you don't want to waste it on things that bring you negativity and sadness. This means, by leaving a toxic friendship, you'll have more time to pursue things that make your heart and soul happy and you never know, these new activities could lead to better and bigger friendships.

To feel happier about yourself and your life

Negative and toxic environments will take their toll on your mental wellbeing, how you feel about yourself, and your life. And that toll will prevent you from feeling happy in yourself and in your life.

However, by leaving a toxic situation, you won't be surrounded by that level of negative energy and can spend your days focusing on the positive energy, how you feel about yourself, and your life. And, I can assure you, you'll start to feel freer and happier. 

I hope you enjoyed this post. What else would you add to this list?

Thank you for reading <3

54 comments

  1. Thanks for sharing, it's important to let go of people that are not good for you :)

    Nic | Nic's Adventures & Bakes

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  2. This is such a great post! Ending a friendship is never easy but if the friendship has been a toxic one, you just have to move on from it. Toxic friendships can make you doubt yourself and it's bad for our mental health xx

    lenne | lennezulkiflly.com

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  3. I've left a few toxic friendships in the past and it's really helped my mental health to surround myself by people that actually care about me! I can't believe how much time I wasted on people that wasnt worth it and how much I actually cared if they liked me or not.

    Corinne x
    www.skinnedcartree.com

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  4. This is such a great post. When I was in high school, I went through a period where I left my toxic friendships because my so-called friends continously bullied me. By doing so, I become much happier & I grew closer to my friends that were actually there for me.

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  5. Toxic friendships are the type of friendships we don't need in our lives and like you said, it's important to realise our worth x

    Lucy | www.lucymary.co.uk

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  6. Yes! I totally agree with this. So important to leave toxic friendships! They are not worth it at all!

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  7. I 100% agree with you! This pandemic showed me the other sides of people and we might have grown apart. That is alright. We are all moving forward and there is no need to let the past weigh us down.

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  8. So true! I can be scary to stop a friendship, but when they're toxic they drag you down. Sometimes you don't even realise until you're out of it.
    Cora | https://www.teapartyprincess.co.uk/

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  9. Totally agree with this! I left some toxic friendships in the past and until you step back it's not easy to realise! It helped me so much with my mental health and knowing that I was worth something better x

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  10. Thanks for sharing. I have had toxic friendships in the past and definitely felt lighter when they came to their natural conclusion. Life is too short to have that negativity in your life!

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  11. Great posts and totally agree! There are some brilliant reminders here to keep with you when navigating friendships in adult life, it's always hard to let go or make new ones. Thanks for sharing!

    Anika | chaptersofmay.com

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  12. This is such an important topic and I completely agree with what you have said. I think we all go through this at some point throughout our lives and it can feel so much worse than breaking up with a boyfriend. It is important though because toxic friendships can really damage how we feel about ourselves.

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    1. Thank you lovely! I completely agree with you xx

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  13. I completely agree with all of reasons because I had toxic friendship for years I didn't realize that, or maybe I didn't want to see it. Once I leave my life completely change.

    New Post - https://www.exclusivebeautydiary.com/2021/05/wella-system-professional-luxe-oil.html

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  14. 100% The other thing that happens with some friendships in adulthood is, while they aren't actively harmful per say, they simply they don't add value either. Life happens and we evolve - some people are part of that blueprint, some folks aren't. I think sometimes we find it hard to let go. But as you say, letting go gives space for new meaningful friendships to grow!

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  15. I've definitely dealt with toxic friendships back in high school but since I've gotten older, I left them behind. Saw some great change in my life after that decision. Great post!

    TheQuietGirl
    www.quietgirlblog.com

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  16. I LOVE this post, Della, you've made so many good points. The one that resonates most with me is, "give you the space for better friendships" which is exactly what happened with me, luckily :) x

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  17. This is a wonderful post, I love when people address toxic relationships & friendships as it's so important to talk about and realize who you want around you in your life! You've outlined lots of wonderful points about how important it is and what you benefit from doing this! Thanks for sharing this post :)

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  18. Definitely agree, very inspiring post
    though I always love to nurture friendships..

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  19. I couldn’t agree more with this post! I am naturally a giving person and I love to help people and am always kind/understanding but unfortunately it does mean some people like to take advantage or means I’m in a “toxic friendship” however I have managed to weed out those people and I have a great selection of friends that I love ☺️ Xx

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  20. I love this post! It’s so difficult to leave relationships, especially with toxic people. However, it’s so important for your own stability in life and I think this post will go a long way in convincing people who doubt to leave! Thanks for sharing 😁

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  21. Thank you for sharing Della. It's so important to let go of negative friendships. The only 'really' toxic friendship I had was when I was much much younger. It's of course now not a thing, but everything was such a competition & she'd quite often try and turn others away from me. I can obviously see this now, but couldn't at the time, which could have been really damaging. I now have quite a small friendship group & I'm very happy about it. Quality over quantity any day.

    Claire.X
    www.clairemac.co.uk

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    1. It really is! I'm so glad to hear you have better friendships now xx

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  22. You have made some great points here! Yes, we need friendships, but we don’t need every friendship, especially ones that bring us more pain than support.
    xoxo
    Lovely
    www.mynameislovely.com

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  23. Such an important post! I had quite a few toxic friends in secondary school who made me feel like I wasn't good enough. I'm so glad that I stopped hanging out with them - I don't have as many friends but the few I have, I'm always happy to hang out with. Loved reading this xx

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  24. Aw, this is so lovely! I struggle with making and keeping friends! I haven't found anyone who matches my energy and found myself in a one sided friendship most days. Hoping to find people I vibe with and I'm optimistic about it haha

    Lynn | https://www.lynnmumbingmejia.com

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    1. Thank you! I hope you can find those people soon xx

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  25. I had a really toxic friendship group for the whole of my teens and early twenties. I had no clue just how toxic it was until certain things were brought to my attention. I left the group and struggled with lonliness and the fear of being forever slagged off. Now, almost 10 years later, I'm so glad I made the decision to walk away. I was much happier and settled almost instantly. I have much better relationships now and I still hear stories about how those girls STILL talk about me. Nothing changes but I'm in a better place!
    Rosie

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    Replies
    1. I'm so happy to hear you left that group and feel a lot happier now xx

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  26. Great post! As you get older, it's so important to drop toxic friendships and make sure that you're using your time as you want to! Thank you for sharing this great post x

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  27. I agree with you 100% in this post. As hard as it can be to let go, it is important to do so when it's toxic. You definitley have to think of your own mental health in these situations.
    Thanks for sharing!
    Aimsy xoxo
    Aimsy’s Antics

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  28. ah i wish I had read this sooner! The detriment of toxic friendships is huge - cut them out asap! Great post!x

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  29. We should choose the friends that treat us well.

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