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Beware the one-sided friendship

Signs to look for

Unhealthy friendships can take different forms. Your friend may not gossip, lie, or do anything outright hurtful. They might be fantastic - when they actually come through. The problem is that they only rarely do come through.
These key signs can help you identify a one-sided friendship:
1. It's all about them
2. They don't open up
3. You can't count on them
4. Their behaviour follows a pattern

Why they hurt

1.

They leave you questioning yourself. Besides leaving you isolated and vulnerable, this negative self-talk can also damage your self-image

2.

You don't know what to expect. You believe they don’t mean to hurt you, but their regular neglect inspires doubt

3.

You still feel lonely. When an unbalanced friendship triggers feelings of uncertainty or a loss of self-confidence, you might become wary of trusting any friendships at all

Is it worth fixing?

Even when your friendship feels more unbalanced than mutually supportive, you don’t have to give up on it entirely.
These strategies can help you bring it back into balance:
1. Have a conversation
2. Change up your interactions
3. Take a step back
4. Ask for what you need

Ending things

One sad truth of life is that friendships don’t always thrive, no matter how much time, energy, and love you put into them. These tips can help you end it and move forward.
1. Make your intentions clear
2. Stop reaching out
3. Get support from people you trust

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