Are you in a situation where you want to end a relationship with a friend who is negative, self-centered, manipulative or just generally a bad friend? Telling them directly that you no longer wish to be friends would inevitably result in drama. Drama that you simply don’t want to deal with. You may be wondering “is it OK to ghost a toxic friend?” The answer is ‘yes.’
Ghosting receives a bad rep and for good reason. In many situations, ghosting is considered selfish, immature and insensitive. When it comes to friendships, ghosting can be very hurtful. This is because the person being ghosted may not have seen it coming. They may have valued the friendship and feel as though they have suddenly been abandoned by someone whom they thought cared. However, it can be very difficult to deal with toxic friends.
What is a toxic friend?
A toxic friend is someone who makes you feel unsupported and mentally drained. They are unpleasant to be around and leave you feeling put down instead of lifted up. Here are some telltale signs of a toxic friend:
- It’s always about them
- They take more than they give
- They are negative: always complaining, have a pessimistic view on life
- They are unsupportive or even flat out criticize you
- They are closed-minded and unwilling to hear or accept other points of view
- They are constantly competing with you
- They are clearly jealous of you
- They aren’t happy for you when you succeed
- You cannot trust them enough to share personal things
- They always seem to create conflict for no good reason
- You feel mentally drained after being around them
What are the consequences of being in a toxic friendship?
Having good friendships is critically important to our health and well-being. True friends make us smile and laugh as well as offer a shoulder to cry on. They offer us moral support and make us feel loved and appreciated. However, a toxic friend will have the absolute opposite effect. A toxic friend has the potential to make you feel anxious and stressed. They may even attack our self-esteem and leave you doubting yourself. In the worst case scenario, a toxic friend can make one feel emotionally (or even physically) unsafe.
It’s OK to ghost a toxic friend in the following situations:
- If telling them directly that you no longer wish to be friends will result in a lot of drama, it may not be worth it. If you can forsee them having an emotional outburst, verbally attacking you or turning plain nasty, there’s no reason you should subject yourself to this.
- If you’ve already tried to have a calm, rational conversation with them explaining how you feel about your friendship but they’ve refused to listen or take on board what you’ve said.
- If they’ve really overstepped the line and done (or said) something that you find absolutely unacceptable.
- If they clearly do not respect you or your feelings at all, or are a bully
- If you feel that they are a threat to your wellbeing or safety in any way
Enjoyed this article? You may also find these articles useful:
