Good friends are hard to come by. So when we find them and form a friendship, the last thing we want to imagine is it falling apart. But the reality is that, as we evolve, not every friendship will stand the test of time. So, in addition to your gut feeling, here are some signs that it might be time to end the friendship.
You Feel “The Shift”
Remember when y’all were like Gayle and Oprah and everything was all good? You would talk on the regular and make plans to hang out and catch up because you naturally enjoyed each other’s company. You did it because you wanted to.
But somewhere down the line, a shift happened that no one saw coming, and these days, you just don’t hit it off the way you used to. There’s been no argument or shady business, yet the vibe is always off, and the energy won’t let up.
Maybe one of you is always “busy,” and when you do speak, the conversations are shorter and less meaningful. Or maybe you stopped sharing the same interests that once brought you together and now realize that you don’t have much in common outside of those interests.
Liking different things is fine; that’s a part of what makes us unique. But if you have no desire to restore the bond, there may be a genuine lack of interest in the friendship. In that case, there’s no sense in forcing it.
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You Wouldn’t Be Friends If You Met Today
Like relationships, friendships can also lose that “spark” over time, but even more so if they weren’t built on anything solid to begin with. In other words, some of us met our friends when we weren’t (even close to) the best versions of ourselves.
Think of what stage of life you were in when the friendship started. Were you childhood friends, or did you meet as adults? As we evolve, our priorities change.
Ask yourself, “If we met today, would we still be compatible?” If the answer is no, chances are you’ve outgrown the friendship and are likely holding on to it only because of the history you’ve built together.
One-Sided Effort
In successful friendships, there is balance and mutual engagement. In yours, if you don’t reach out, there will be