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There are so many red flags in friendship that are ignored and can cause harm to you. A friend is there when no one is, a friend is someone who you share a common interest with. In other words, Good friendship is built on trust, love, and respect for one another.
Having a good friend is easy when they are approachable and positively impactful.
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What are the Qualities of Good Friendship;
- They trust each other.
- They are dependable.
- Keeping each other secrets.
- They share the same values and common interests.
- They are good listeners.
- They motivate each other.
- They are family.
What are the red flags in friendship?
Red flags in friendship are harmful, disrespectful, and manipulative behaviors that a friend shows to you. When a friend displays negative behavior towards you that aims to bring you down and cause you harm, it is a sign of a toxic friendship.
Living with a toxic friend can be a negative experience that can hurt your life, as they will try to deceive you in ways that can destroy everything around you.
In this blog, we are going to share the red flags that are common in friendships, and you should avoid those red flags before they destroy your life.
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Red flags in friendship
1. They hurt us intentionally
This is an obvious red flag in friendship that can cause a lot of damage to you. “When a friend dislikes you, they may try to hurt you and make you feel unhappy in your life. They may not care about your interests or well-being and might want to see you fail or be ashamed. This is a big warning sign in a friendship that you should try to avoid.”
2. They lack loyalty
Having a friend you can trust is something worth living for in life. If you surround yourself with friends who constantly lie to your face and betray your trust by sharing your secrets with others, they are not true friends. Such individuals are self-centered and will not add any value to your life. Instead, they will only drain you emotionally and make you feel worthless.
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3. They have manipulative behaviors
Friends who have manipulative behaviors use different tactics to control and exploit you. All they do is manipulate you like a puppet and disregard your feelings. These kinds of friends are toxic and should be avoided in your life.
Manipulative friends are friends that will hurt you emotionally and physically; they cannot impact anything in your life because all they care about is taking advantage of you for their benefit.
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4. They keep secrets
There is no doubt that we do have boundaries that we keep in our lives, but when it comes to things that benefit us as friends, and they hide that from you, that means they don’t value your friendship, which is a red flag. Also, there are some personal problems they might be facing that need help in ways you can, but they don’t share with you, which means they can’t trust you.
Find a friend who can value and tell you the issues in their life, for that is a quality of a good friend.
5. They lack friendship support
Whenever your friends don’t support and encourage you in your life, they are bound to destroy and keep you neutral. They are also called toxic because they will drain you mentally and emotionally in ways you might not see coming.
Having a friend who will give you support for your growth and is always happy for your success is a friend that is worth more than gold.
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6. They feel arrogant
These kinds of friends are red flags for they are only there for themselves, they don’t care about you or your feelings. Arrogant friends are not good to keep in the sense that they will focus more on themselves, and they are secretly not happy with your achievements because they are full of themselves. Avoiding these kinds of friends will save you a lot of trouble in the future, for they are not sincere towards you.
7. They try to get into competition with you
Friends who are not happy with your wins and try to get into competition with you in your field of work and personal matters are not good friends. If your friend isn’t happy with your achievements, you should cut them off because they will do something else to bring you down.
Your friends know a lot about you; they have the advantage of taking you down when they start getting competitive with you. They don’t admire you and your journey of success; all they want is for themselves to take the glory and be the best.
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8. They put less effort on your friendships
When you put so much effort into building your relationship with your friends and putting them first in your consideration, but all they do is show resentment and be less concerned, then that is a red flag in friendship.
They also make it seem like they are not friends with you and you are just friends with them, showing less effort to make the friendship work. This kind of friend shouldn’t be in your life, for they are toxic.
9. You start feeling uncomfortable with them
Most times, we always have that feeling that says to us that “they are not wanted in our lives”; you should trust your instincts and go with it. When you start uncomfortable, like something is off about them, or you start noticing some unusual behavior from them, you probably should stay away from those kinds of friends because even subconscious feelings don’t welcome them around.
10. They blame you for everything
When your friends start showing some toxic signs like blaming you for everything that happened, that kind of friend should be avoided. They make you insecure and guilty about yourself, they refuse to own up to their faults and take the responsibility for their actions instead, they only care to see you take the blame.
Friends who blame you for everything also show some manipulative traits in them, they want to hurt you emotionally by blaming you for everything that happens to them; these friends should be avoided for they are marked as red flags.
11. They don’t respect your boundaries
Friends that don’t respect the boundaries you set in your friendship should be considered as a red flag. These friends are likely to destroy and manipulate you; they overstep your boundaries and disrespect you at all times. You should stay far away from them because they are abusive and selfish, and they can cause a lot of damage to your life.
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12. They don’t apologize when they are wrong
You should be with a friend who doesn’t show remorse and care about how you feel. Friends who don’t apologize even when they are wrong by making funny jokes that may have hurt your feelings should be a red flag in your friendship. Also, friends who do not like to make peace and always feel full of themselves should be watched out for because they possess toxic traits in friendship.
13. They envy you unnecessary
Friends that envy you can be a red flag because they have the traits of jealousy, manipulation, and trust issues. They make you feel bad and unhappy about yourself and maybe unwanted. A friend should make you feel good about yourself and make you feel comfortable around them.
Friendship is all about respecting each other, celebrating victories together, and being there for each other.
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A final thought on red flags in friendship
In conclusion, identifying red flags in friendships is crucial for maintaining a healthy and supportive social circle.
When friends intentionally cause harm, lack loyalty, exhibit manipulative behaviors, keep secrets, lack support, display arrogance, compete negatively, put minimal effort into the relationship, create discomfort, shift blame, disrespect boundaries, and harbor unnecessary envy, these behaviors signal toxic traits.
Recognizing these red flags allows for protecting one’s well-being and cultivating relationships built on trust, mutual respect, and genuine support. A fulfilling friendship celebrates victories together, respects boundaries, and contributes positively to each other’s lives.
It is very important you choose your friends wisely, and also, if you begin to see some toxic traits in your friendship, then you should stay far away from them to avoid getting emotionally and mentally hurt.
