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Toxic Friendships: Navigating & Removing Negativity

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Rollins chapter.

Throughout our lives, we have different encounters with many people, some who stay in our lives forever and some who are only temporary. Often, it’s up to us to determine the purpose they have in our life. Whether that person is there to teach you a lesson or bring out the best in you, life would be so much easier if we could just tell someone’s intentions from the start. Although we can’t read minds and figure out what people truly feel about us, there are always signs to let us know when someone might be toxic. 

One of the first signs to look for when figuring out someone’s true intentions with you is through how they communicate. If they only contact you when they want or need something from you, that’s probably a sign they’re not serving a beneficial purpose in your life. In the same way, if they never care to ask about your personal life and or even ask how you’re doing, this is a big signal. 

Another red flag we often ignore is that no reply is a reply. And yes, the same still goes for when they reply days or weeks later to an important message you sent. Not only can this create frustration, but it also signifies a lack of interest in what you have to say. By not doing anything about it and continuing to want to text that person, in the end, you’re simply disrespecting yourself. 

Whether you feel you have to unfollow or delete someone from your contacts to benefit your mental state, do it now to prevent any future disappointments. Always remember you’re too good to be having someone doubt how they feel about you. There is still so much time for you to meet all kinds of people along your journey and you shouldn’t doubt your worth because of anyone else. Taking some time to reevaluate your friends list will bring in the positive energy you need to grow and progress in your life! 

Rollins '22