I think one of the scariest parts of adulting is losing old friends. Especially when you start seeing signs your friendship has expired.
Friends are a great part of our lives, to be honest, and as much we like to hold on to our relationships with our friends, especially those we have known for the longest time, we also have to admit that sometimes, friendships run their course.
It might be difficult to know when a friendship has run its course, and even when you know, it’s just easier to dwell in denial.
Friendship breakups are even worse than romantic relationships. But sometimes it just has to be done for your happiness and mental health.
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Here are 10 signs your friendship has expired
They are “too busy” all the time
Imagine having a friend who is constantly busy.
Adulting gets busy sometimes, totally understandable. But if people are really important to you, you make time for them. If your friend is too busy to pick up calls, respond to messages, or even hang out occasionally, you may want to reconsider the friendship.
One of the most important ingredients to friendship is communication, if you don’t even communicate how can you say you know them?
The only thing you have in common is the past
Your conversations are filled with ‘Remember when?’ This is one of the signs your friendship has expired.
You are both hesitant to tell each other what is going on presently in your lives. Maybe because of trust issues, unhealthy competition or you feel they don’t need to know.
Whatever the reason is, it’s obvious that your friendship is not healthy and you need to either work on it or end it.
SEE: Laugh and Connect: Fun Things to Do with Your Friends This Weekend
You constantly complain about them
They are constantly doing things that irritate you or make you complain about them. Even worse, you do not complain to them about their behavior; you have to take it to other people.
The problem here is not that they are doing things wrong, it’s that they are constantly doing it and you cannot take it anymore.
If you constantly have to complain about your friend, especially if it’s over the same issue, then you might need to start packing your bags.
You constantly feel disrespected by them
Respect is such an important ingredient for any relationship to thrive. If your friend has no regard for you or for your boundaries. It’s a sign that that friendship is about to expire.
Feeling disrespected, especially by someone you respect can make you feel unseen, and unloved and may affect your self-esteem.
You really do not want this. It’s best to end that friendship and end it quickly.
ALSO READ: 10+ Habits Of Toxic Friends
You can’t get past a fight
It’s normal for friends to fight. In fact, it’s normal for friends to fight constantly. But when you fight with your friend and you just can’t get past it, that’s a problem.
Holding on to a fight will definitely cause aggressive reactions and it can get tiring.
If you find yourself holding on to a fight with a friend, it might be time to let that friend go. That’s one of the signs your friendship has expired.
You don’t feel supported by them
This is one of the basic requirements of friendships, and human relationships in general.
Support is so important in any friendship. If you feel like your friend is constantly antagonizing you or talking down on your ideas without a valid reason, you might want to end that relationship.
Even if your friend wants to oppose your actions or ideas, there should be a valid reason behind it and it should come from a place of love. Them doing this for no reason is one of the signs your friendship has expired./
SEE: Is It Normal For My Girlfriend To Hit Me?
You’ve run out of things to talk about
You don’t have meaningful conversations anymore. All you talk about now are superficial things.
Imagine being on the phone with a friend and you are waiting for who will talk first.
If you realize that you have nothing to say to someone who you used to tell everything, you might need to reevaluate the friendship.
You feel terrible after spending time with them
This is one of the signs your friendship has expired. Friends are meant to inspire and uplift you, and you ought to look forward to seeing them.
If you feel bad about yourself, or you are nervous and fear social situations with them, there may be a problem.
Our bodies don’t lie; they convey messages about who is good for us and who is bad for us, about who feeds us and who doesn’t, about who gives us energy and who doesn’t.
After spending time with this individual, if you feel completely exhausted, upset, puzzled, unbalanced, or hurt, it’s a good sign to believe something is off.
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You spend more time trying to please them than actually enjoying the friendship
No relationship is ever 50-50, granted! But you should not constantly have to be the one bending over backward to keep your friend happy.
It’s okay to make sacrifices for friends, but if you feel like you are the only one who does this, it might be a problem. You might end up feeling you are not appreciated for your contributions to the friendship, or that you are just being used.
And feeling this way is one of the signs your friendship has expired.
You have lost trust in this person
If you constantly have to tiptoe around your friend and watch what you say, then your friendship is probably over.
Trust is a key element of friendship and if you cannot easily close your eyes and allow your friend to watch your back, then it just makes sense to let the friendship go.
SEE: Friends with Benefits: Are There Really No Strings Attached?
Signs your friendship has expired: A final note
They say 10 children cannot stick together for 20 years. Life happens sometimes and you drift from someone you truly care about and it really isn’t anyone’s fault.
Take your time to grieve because losing friends really hurt too.
