3. LPT: Teenagers, if you have a toxic friend, cut them off.

LPT: Teenagers, if you have a toxic friend, cut them off.

This is so important! I was told this as a teenager, and didn't listen. Well lemme tell you, I regret it now. My situation may be slightly different than the normal "toxic" people, so I want to talk about it just in case a teenager is going thru something similar.

I grew up with a group of friends who became very self destructive. Faking suicide attempts all the time, which turned me into a mess, calling their parents or showing up only to see they were fine and sitting in front of the computer, them telling their parents I was a liar. Putting up with them lying to me or to other people, and then coming up with very dramatic stories to cover for it, making me feel like I had to stick around and be available 24/7 or I'd be an evil person to not be there for them. This lead to me getting older, making new friends that were very similar. I've lived in seven apartments since I was 18, I'm 22 now. My life was a mess almost at all times, because I was putting these people in front of my own problems, feeling like I was stuck and had to help them when in actuality their problems weren't very real to begin with. But I always thought, "What if this time it is? What if this time they kill themselves and it's my fault?" They all did a good job at keeping me thinking that way.

Like I said, I'm 22 now. And after a year of constant depression and anxiety because I would be alone or at fault if I left them, I finally cut them out. Sure, I'll respond to their texts when I've got the time. But now I'm out making new friends, which ended up being MUCH easier than I would have guessed it to be. It's astounding how nice other people are. I was sick the other week and two new friends asked me if they could bring me anything. When I go out to meet them, they ask me about my day and how things are going. It's an amazing feeling.

AND GUESS WHAT. None of the old friends have hurt themselves, their lives haven't changed at all, they've just found new people to replace my role as someone there to take the brunt of their bullshit. Some have gotten hostile with my absence, so I calmly explained and suddenly the tell me their lives are changed and they're much better now. Excuses to get me back around. I won't do it, I'm feeling better than ever.

Sorry if this got a bit winded and repetitive. It's an exciting feeling to be free from all that negativity, I've never reflected on it until now. If you're in high school and have friends like that, get out as soon as you can. You won't be alone. They won't hurt themselves. You're a great person who deserves to be treated as such. Feel free to message me if you need any support. <3

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