Spring cleaning isn’t just about tidying your apartment: it’s also the perfect time to re-evaluate your relationships, plan for your goals, and viciously sever friendships that are no longer serving you. Here are some tips for cutting toxic people out of your life, except for the toxic people who are fun – they get to stay!
Think critically about whether someone adds to your life.
Does this person make you feel supported, comfortable, and energized? Or do they only bring negativity and make you feel bad about yourself? It’s important to mention that there’s a third category of special people who might bring negativity sometimes but are also super fun. Like, they always have cool anecdotes to share from their wild shenanigans and are super fun to gossip with (because they’re willing to say downright evil things). This is a perfect friend to have, and to be clear, you should absolutely keep them!
Boundaries are your best friend.
When you’ve decided to cut a toxic person out of your life, it’s important to set boundaries with them so that you can finally start to heal your psyche. If there’s a fun toxic person you’ve decided to keep as a friend, feel free to set a boundary like, “If you hear something about Megan, you have to tell me,” or “We should hang out more!”
Don’t be afraid to give specific reasons.
It’s much better to explain your thinking than leave someone in the dark. If you feel like a friendship has taken a turn for the worse, be explicit, and tell that person! Unless they’re fun, in which case keep it to yourself so they continue confiding in you when they hear gossip about the Kennedys and inviting you to cool speakeasies disguised as coin laundromats.
Journal about the whole process.
This is a great way to keep track of how you’re feeling, and an even better way to keep track of all the fun things you do with your toxic friends when they’re in town. They’re just so fun to dance with! And you’ll never believe what they said about your mutual friend Harrison – his mom is being indicted for white collar crime, which is kind of girlboss of her, but also bad. Anyway, yeah, cut out the toxic friends who are boring!
So, next time you’re taking stock of your friendships, be sure to distance yourself from people who don’t bring out the best version of yourself, unless they’re a great hang, then invite them over!
