These days, many individuals are seeking to develop meaningful friendships with other people for the purpose of becoming healthier and happier. However, it’s important to remember that many friendships that individuals attempt to establish are unhealthy. In fact, many people will find themselves being taken advantage of by their “friends” at some point.
Read on to learn about several signs which might indicate that a so-called friend is taking advantage of you:
1. They Always Talk About Themselves.
Their first instinct is always to talk about themselves, no matter the situation. Light topics include a story about their last vacation, their dating life, or their day in general. After about ten minutes, they might ask you how your day is going.
2. You Have To Reach Out First.
When they reach out to you they put in minimal to no effort whatsoever. Maybe it didn’t even start out that way, but eventually, you began to notice a pattern in their behavior. The exchange in numbers probably resembles 20% of their efforts, 80% of your efforts.
3. They’re Being Polite, Not Personal.
The times they do put in the effort, it seems more like a transaction than a reflex of caring. Do you ever meet those people who do things to be polite, and not because they actually want to? Ever look at your friend and realize that’s exactly what they do to you?
4. They Fish For Compliments.
If they need more confidence, you are the first person they want to reach. You are really good at seeing the good in people. So you can easily find a list of their best qualities when they go fishing for compliments or if the topic comes up naturally.
5. They’re Not There For You.
They like to complain about their problems, but when you need a shoulder, they shrug you off or try to make it about themselves again. If they are in a rough way, you provide a thoughtful support system. If you are a rough way, they respond harshly in return and are eager to change the subject.
6. You Make Sacrifices. They Don’t.
You can recall more than a handful of times in a row that you have helped them, without waiting to reciprocate. At some point, you started to keep track because you noticed something a little odd about the amount of sacrifice you were making for someone who barely thought once about you throughout.
7. They Only Come Around When They Need Something.
Actually, they seem to be around most conveniently when they need a favor, too. Common phrases out of them include “Can I..”, “Will you do…”, and “Do you have…”
8. You’re Always Going Out Of Your Way.
Many times you have gone out of your way or even your comfort zone for them. You do not necessarily consider this as a task because you did so with your own free will, but it did leave you feeling more like a pawn and less like a person afterward.
9. When You Address Issues, You’re Ignored.
One final sign which indicates that your friends are taking advantage of your kind nature is attempting to address the problem and finding yourself regularly ignored. Often, individuals who take advantage of you are ego-centered, meaning that they consciously or unconsciously come to believe that everyone else should operate in a self-sacrificial manner when around them.
Has this article helped you weed out bad friends and welcome in good ones? Did you realize your kindness has been taken advantage of by your friends?
