It seems like lately, every time you’re around your friends, there’s at least one moment when you feel this way. And it’s starting to take its toll on you.

You’re exhausted from always having to be on guard, from always having to bite your tongue or keep your opinions to yourself. You’re tired of feeling like you have to put up with their negativity in order to have any social life at all.

It might be time to take a step back and reassess your friendships. It’s not necessarily that all of your friends are bad people; although some of them might be, the negative energy that comes with being around them is simply not good for you. So, if being around them always leaves you feeling drained, here’s what you can do about it:

Here’s what to do about your toxic friends:

1- Don’t let their negativity ruin your day:

You know the feeling all too well. You’re out with your friends and you’re having a good time, but then someone says something that just rubs you the wrong way.

Maybe it’s a remark about your clothes, or your weight, or your intelligence. Maybe it’s something about one of your other friends, or maybe it’s just a general negative comment about life in general.

Whatever it is, it puts a damper on your good mood and leaves you feeling angry and upset. But try to stay composed and not think much of such behavior. Toxicity and toxic people can only corrupt your spirit and poison your soul.

The more you focus on it and feel worse about it, the more you will feel bad, uncomfortable, and disheartened. But, this doesn’t mean that you should always brush it off and normalize it to the point where you start acting like them too.

2- Start distancing yourself from them:

A toxic friend is someone who is always negative, brings drama into your life, and makes you feel bad about yourself. If all your friends are toxic, it’s probably time to distance yourself from them.

This doesn’t always mean you have to end the friendship, but it does mean distancing yourself emotionally. That means setting boundaries and limits on how much you’re willing to tolerate from them.

It also means spending less time with them, in person if needed. If you feel it has become a necessity in an attempt to find peace of mind and put your mental health first. You can do it gradually with no drama if you’re someone who doesn’t like confrontation or conflict.

3- Make new friends in the meantime:

It can be tough when you realize that all your friends are toxic. Maybe they bring out the worst in you, or maybe they’re just not good for your mental health. Whatever the reason, it’s important to remember that you don’t have to stay in a bad situation just because you need people in your life to share things with and do activities with.

If all your friends are toxic, it’s time to make some new ones. This doesn’t mean you have to get rid of all your old friends abruptly and replace them overnight, but it does mean you need to start spending more time with people who make you feel happy and good about yourself. When you’re around positive people, it’s easier to be positive yourself.

So if you’re looking for a change, don’t be afraid to reach out to new people, go out of your comfort zone and make some new friends. So, you might want to try your luck at finding new friends who are more supportive and positive. And, you might just end up realizing how easily forgettable your toxic friends were by seeing how beautiful life can be with your new ones.

4- Try stoping the toxicity by confronting them:

If you find that all your friends are toxic, and you’re not worried about confronting them; then you can try it and see if there’s something you can fix about them. If that’s something you feel you can do then you need to confront them about their words and actions and let them know that you won’t tolerate it anymore.

At least, this way if they don’t change and you cut them off they won’t be left wondering where or why you vanished or took yourself away from their influence. Obviously, confrontation can be a difficult thing to do, but it’s necessary if you want to keep them and have them act better around you. This way you stand a chance at protecting yourself from their negativity too.

If you want to learn more about types of negative people to make sure that you recognize toxic behavior then read this article later on it. Whatever you do, don’t tolerate toxicity and negativity in your friendships; it’s not worth it.

5- Cut all ties:

After having tried everything with your toxic friends and they just seem beyond saving then you may want to stop and re-assess the situation. If it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, take a hint and consider cutting all ties. It’s hard, and you might feel alone after doing it, but it’s for the best.

You deserve to be around people who make you feel good about yourself, not people who bring you down all the time. So, if you think that your friends are unbearably toxic, don’t be afraid to cut them out of your life. You’ll be better off without them.

You can also consider checking this article out to learn the proper way to cut off toxic people if that’s something you’re considering doing.