"Being socially connected and having flourishing friendships can deeply enhance the quality of your life. The right friendships can uplift you and help you get through the toughest times. However, not all friendships will have the same impact on you. Some can even feel emotionally uneven, where you feel like you give more than you receive, or you walk away from interactions feeling depleted rather than nourished."
"Just as you may have learned to look out for red flags in romantic relationships, you must also learn to recognize them in friendships. The people closest to you shape your sense of safety and self-worth, whether you realize it or not. It helps to discern when a friendship isn't healthy for you and when to walk away."
"However, if someone only contacts you when they need a favor or some support, emotional or otherwise, and rarely checks in on you outside of this need, it may be time to look closer at the dynamic. This pattern, over time, can leave you feeling more like a lifeline than a friend. You may begin to question whether they value you or just what you provide."
Flourishing friendships enhance life quality, uplift during hardship, and shape a person's sense of safety and self-worth. Some friendships feel emotionally uneven, leaving one person depleted after interactions or consistently giving more than receiving. Constantly overextending or suppressing needs to preserve such a friendship constitutes self-sacrifice. A common red flag is contact only when one friend needs something, with little reciprocal check-in or support. Mutual help between friends predicts the maintenance of long-term friendships, while one-sided helping patterns can undermine relationship stability and leave the helper questioning their value. Recognizing these dynamics can guide boundary-setting or ending unhealthy friendships.
Read at Psychology Today
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