Here is part 1 of my 3 part series on Toxic Friendships:

Ah, toxic friends. From Clueless to Mean Girls to Gossip Girl (is it Pretty Little Liars now?)…

Do they only appear in the teenage years?

No.

These appear through to adulthood, from college/university to the workplace to motherhood to old age (who’s a better grandma?)

If you’re reading this right now, you’re probably thinking:

“I want to learn how to recognize toxic friends and avoid them.” It’s them…not me. I’m a perfect friend.”

But here’s a newsflash.

Anyone can become a toxic friend, including yourself, especially when we are down and struggling and the world seems like it’s against us, nothing is going our way. Because life is hard and shit happens.

The best way to identify whether someone is toxic is to be self-aware of your own toxic behaviours and tendencies.

You’ll have a better sense of when a friend is acting toxic and you will understand why they are acting that way since you’ve recognized that in yourself.

I’d like to say I’m always a good friend but I’m not.

I’m human and there are days when I’m not the best person to hang out with.

I can be spiteful, harsh, snappy, jealous, negative and incredibly judgemental.

Here are 3 signs that I watch in myself so that I’m mindful of when I’m starting to become toxic.