Good friends can be your greatest allies in life. Besides supporting you and providing helpful advice, they are also meant to be there for you through both good times and in bad. They can act as your support group, your shopping buddies, the shoulders to cry on, and the ones you can spoil and do little favors for just because. If you have friends like these, count yourself lucky!
But along with good friends, there may be a couple of toxic ones lurking around in your social circle. They’re the ones who bring you down and make you feel unwanted. They’re the ones who bring nothing but trouble. They’re the ones who are so selfish that they think the world will unconditionally love them. They’re the ones you want out of your life.
Who should you unfriend?
Here are a 17 examples of “friends” who will only end up making you feel sad, exhausted, or both.
#1 The selfish friend. This is the one who thinks everything revolves around them. They only do things when it suits them, and they won’t be caught dead doing something nice for someone else unless they have an ulterior motive. [Read: 10 ways to recognize a selfish person and 5 ways to get away from them]
#2 The always unavailable friend. You know the one who always wants to get together, but when you try to make a plan, they remind you of how busy they are? Their calendar never seems to clear up, but they still want to be on your friends list… without doing any of the actual friend activities, that is.
#3 The excuse lover. This friend is the flaky one, the one who is always making plans and then cancelling at the last minute. There’s no telling what kind of excuse they’ll magically come up with, especially when you feel like you’ve already heard them all before.
#4 The self-esteem destroyer. Real friends will love you for who you are, but bad friends will wreak havoc on your self-esteem in order to protect their own fragile self-worth. Whether it’s fat shaming or pointing out all your flaws on a regular basis, this friend needs a kick to the curb.
#5 The bad advice counselor. This friend always gives you the worst advice, and they get their kicks out of your life mistakes. They might make you break up with your boyfriend, or convince you that your girlfriend is cheating on you, just because misery loves company. If they don’t have your best interests at heart, they aren’t a friend. Period. [Read: 13 signs your friends are ruining your relationship]
#6 The single friend who dumps you when they’re in a relationship. This person only crops up when they are single. Attempt to contact them while they are in a relationship and prepare to hear radio silence.
#7 The user. This “friend” uses you as a wing man/woman, to buy the drinks at the club, to be the designated driver, and the list goes on. They won’t go out with you unless you have some kind of benefit for them. This one doubles as the selfish friend, and they are a bottomless pit of greed. [Read: 10 types of toxic friends who can make your life hell]
#8 The friend you’re in love with. This friend is the guy or girl that you remain friends with despite being hopelessly in love with them. They are either oblivious or don’t reciprocate the feeling. Being around them will only either expose you to their romantic exploits with other partners *ouch* or the blatant fact that they only see you as a friend *double ouch*. Either fess up or keep your distance. [Read: The step-by-step guide when you find yourself falling for a friend]
#9 The financially depleting friend. The one who always makes plans to do things that involve dropping huge amounts of cash on the regular, where you end up feeling guilty for wanting to stay in or saving up for that new car. They give you the “huh?” look when you mention money being an issue. You may not be on the same page, financially or otherwise.
#10 The superficial friend. The one who will only walk around with you if you look good. They will give you a weird look when you walk out in sweats while they’re dressed to kill. They are looking for an entourage based on looks, not on actually building solid friendships for life. All these people want is an audience, and they really aren’t the type to be around for the long haul.
#11 The yo-yo friend. One day, they’re your best friend, and the next, you catch them with matching BFF bracelets with that other girl they hated last week. This friend is always between friends. If you get on their bad side, they won’t be by your side for long, but will come crying back when they realize the grass isn’t any greener over there. [Read: 16 signs you’re being taken for granted by your friends]
#12 The “friend” who’s trying to sleep with you. These friends don’t really want to be your friend at all, and are secretly hoping for your current relationship to fail or for you to get drunk enough to sleep with them. These friends will flirt with you and ask hypothetical questions about the two of you hooking up. [Read: 10 signs your BFF is secretly trying to seduce you]
#13 The friend with baggage. They are always showing up with a new guy or girl on their arm, and they can’t seem to hang out with the crew unless they have an “other half” present. These friends will dump you for their fling of the moment, and you should probably beat them to it.
#14 The long-time friend you have nothing in common with anymore. You had some wild times in college together, and until now, they’re still hitting up clubs every weekend, while in school for the third time, all while they’re married with kids. You just can’t seem to find common ground, other than laughing about your old college stories. Leave it in the past. It’s wasted time. [Read: Are you losing a friend or just drifting away?]
#15 The negative friend. Whenever you bring up something great, they bring up something in the news that you should be worried about. Whether it’s the declining economy, the failing marriage rates, or how hard it is to find a good significant other in today’s world, they are constantly complaining or worrying about one thing or another.
These people will drain you of your good vibes and energy. They need to be avoided if you don’t want to be sucked into their pit of constant negativity.
#16 The needy friend. This is the friend who can’t seem to do anything on their own. They always need advice on how to respond to their crush’s text, their clothing choices, and right down to the types of food they should eat. This friendship is exhausting and pointless, to say the least.
#17 The backstabber. They smile in your face, but every time they piss off one of their close lipped followers, you somehow hear about how they’ve been talking behind your back. Whether they don’t believe you deserve your promotion at work, think you don’t deserve your partner, or poke fun at how you gained five pounds on vacation, these are among the worst types of friends. Remove them from your life before they destroy your reputation.
Friends are meant to add positivity and joy to your life, so if you notice any of the above characters bringing you down, it’s best to let them go.