Toxic Friendship. When a Friend Makes You Feel Worse

We often discuss toxic relationships. But a friend can hurt just as much as a partner.

Toxic friendship is when a friend makes you feel worse. Not always intentionally. Not always out of malice. But consistently. They devalue you. They're envious. They criticize. They take advantage. They manipulate. And you feel drained after every encounter.

We rarely talk about toxic friendship. Because "friends are sacred." Because "we've been friends for years." Because "they're not an enemy." But a friend who systematically hurts you is not a friend. They're someone who stays in your life out of inertia. Or because it benefits them.