April 13, 2022
Identifying Fake Friends
Sometimes, we befriend the wrong people and don’t realize it. We believe they will have our best interest at heart because any real friend would. However, this becomes damaging to how we see ourselves or others due to their unsympathetic acts. For example, you stop opening up about your troubles because they told you that you were being selfish by talking about yourself. Consequently, you become closed off to everyone around you, assuming it’s true and not wanting to hurt anyone’s feelings. Situations like this can only become dangerous to your own vision of yourself and who you want to be, so it’s important to keep only sincere and caring people around you. And if you need to kick some people to the curb, don’t be afraid to do so, as it may be the kindest thing you can do for yourself. With that in mind, what are a few of the signs of a fake friend?
- Whatever you do, it has to be what they want to do. Fake friends have a habit of taking over any activities you do together. And if they can’t, they’ll opt to stay home, with or without a vague response of how boring or inconsiderate your ideas are.
- They talk behind your back. People are looking at you differently because of how they talk about you, while they share secrets or cause others to jump to untrue conclusions just to be the center of gossip. It doesn’t matter that it hurts your feelings or alienates others from you.
- It’s always your fault when something goes wrong. You can’t control how other people will react any more than you can control an unexpected rainstorm or a hereditary health condition. Not everything sums up to the fault of one person, but they think it does.
- Their social events are more important than your companionship. They name ridiculous, often uncontrollable reasons for why they refuse to let you come to their party or other get-togethers with your friend group. A fake image of how perfect their life is matters more than being close to you.
- You can’t count on them. When you need help, advice, or a shoulder to cry on, they choose not to be there—ever. Your emotional and or physical well-being is more of a burden to them, so they make you go through it alone. Yet, they expect you to help them.