#feeling lonely

A toxic friendship does not appear as bullying; the particular behaviours often make you feel lonely and fuel self-doubt. This pattern is so subtle that you can’t realise its effects until it takes a toll on your emotional well-being. "Why do I feel drained after hanging out with my friend?" This reveals the emotional exhaustion you face when exposed to a toxic friendship for a long time.

Feeling Lonely Even When You Have a Close Friend

This is the paradox you can experience in a toxic friendship. Feeling lonely inside a friendship is more painful; you feel unsupported and misunderstood. You are available for your friends, but nobody is there for you when you need a shoulder to cry or someone to speak your heart out. In every conversation, you feel isolated and invisible. They discuss their problems, their success stories, and their needs, without paying attention to your worries. 

Why Does a Toxic Friendship Make You Feel Anxious?

In a true friendship, you share your feelings and thoughts with people without the fear of being judged. When the friendship is not healthy, you always feel nervous and under stress. You constantly check your phone if your last message disappointed your friend or overthink the words you said. "Did I offend them?" or "Should I have replied differently?"

You tried hard to avoid the conflict, considering the worst-case scenario and sometimes, apologies become the common practice even when you have done nothing wrong. Toxic behaviour to be loud, but hides behind everyday interactions.

When Friendship Becomes Stress-inducer, Not Stress-relivever

The emotional exhaustion after each conversation makes you question: “Why do I feel stressed after talking to my friend?” When nothing dramatic happens, you doubt your own opinions and feel stressed about the following actions throughout the day. With all the confusion and frustration moving in your brain, you look for the answer: “How to relieve stress quickly?”

You could not realise how fast your emotional resources are getting depleted to save the friendship.

Overcome Stress and Anxiety with TalkitOut