Watch out for these friendship red flags 🚩🚩🚩

I’m sure you’ve heard a lot about dating red flags, but friendships are no different.

Why focus on friendships? Because that’s one of the life aspects you can choose and is fully under your control.

And since I want you to make your life the best possible for you, here are some warning signs that you and your bestie might actually be frenemies:

🚩#1 You don’t like yourself when you’re with them🤢

Chile… I know, starting with a tough one (but when did I ever promise to be soft on y’all?) 🤫

I know you know this feeling… when someone just brings the version of yourself that isn’t the best. That could mean a lot of things, like:

• You indulge in behaviors that don’t align with who you want to be, like gossiping, drinking too much, being passive-aggressive…

• You can’t be yourself when you’re around them because you fear their reaction

  If you have to dim your ✨ light ✨ when you’re around someone, saying that they’re not the right fit for you is an understatement.

  What’s the point? If anything a real friend should feel like a safe zone and will bring out the best in you, not make you feel like you’re walking on eggshells.

🚩 #2 You compete with each other🤼‍♂️

I guess we could say that a little bit of healthy competition can be good but with an emphasis on little and healthy.✨

It would be better to describe it as inspiration. In the sense that good friends will always bring out the best in each other, root for each other and have such a dynamic that improves both of their lives.

Competition is a detriment to friendship because it goes hand in hand with jealousy. 😒

And, yes, jealousy is nothing more than an indicator on what you should work on in your own life, but it can stand in the way of a loving friendship.

If you are jealous of your friend's promotion at work or your friend is jealous of your romantic relationship, it’s a sure indicator that something in your dynamic is off and that either one or both of you need to take a minute and work out the triggers. 🧨

🚩 #3 They talk badly about you behind your back 👄

Now, this is so basic that I was debating whether or not to include it, but something told me some of y’all need to hear it. 📣

It is one thing if your friend is genuinely concerned about you and carefully chooses who to seek advice from regarding her doubts, but it’s a completely different story if your friend smears you, gossips about you or spreads your personal information like flyers in the election season.

There are no words fit to emphasize how big of a red flag this is.

To put it simply:

🏃🏻‍♀️✨Run, girl, run.✨🏃🏻‍♀️

🚩 #4 They are always criticizing you👎🏻

If all the nice things they have ever said about you can be counted on the fingers of one hand, but can’t go for an hour without a mean remark or a criticism… they are not your friend. 🤡

They are your serious enemy because they prefer you not to be aware of your potential.

This extra basic but… your friends should be your loudest cheerleaders.

Maybe they do it unintentionally. Some people have a negative self-image and would like others to be their partners in misery. 🧻

However it is, be aware of it and be careful.

If you expose yourself enough to certain thoughts, your mind will slowly start adopting them and before you know it, you are not moving forward but backward. 🌱

🚩 #5 They make fun of the things that make you you🙃

Basically, they kill your vibe. When you get really excited about something they find a way to undermine it or prove to you that it’s not worth the hype.

Like, did I ask? Girl, bye. ✌

To conclude…

You need to understand that the purpose of having a friend is not merely to have someone to kill time with because you’re scared or ashamed to be by yourself.

The purpose of having a friend is to have a person to share your life with. It is to allow someone to play a role in a movie that is your life, so why would you hire an extra villain? 🍿

So many factors of life you are born with - your family, your genetics, your nationality… But friends you can choose! Allow yourself to be picky. ✨

🔔 At the end of the day, the people you choose to surround yourself with are just the reflection of what you think you deserve.

The treatment you allow is the reflection of how you believe you should be treated. 🤫

And with that, we circle back to… confidence and self-image. Because everything starts from within, even your friends.

Until next Thursday, I’m sending you my glowing kisses and hugs,

Your Glowing Bestie ✨❤️