8 Signs of a Toxic Friendship | Sharon Livingston | TEDxWilmingtonWomen
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Published 2016-12-21
Many more people are living with toxic friendships without even knowing it.
Knowing the 8 signs of a toxic friendship can help you avoid them.
Dr. Sharon Livingston is founder and president of The Livingston Group for Marketing, Inc., a brand marketing research company that implements projective techniques to discover and strengthen the relationship between Fortune 100 products and their consumers. Sharon also wrote “Get Lost Girlfriend: How I Found Myself When My Best Friend Dumped Me”. In spite of her professional success, Sharon found herself in a toxic friendship — a friendship she treasured turned out to be deeply harmful. Turning to business principles in branding and working on her own personal brand, she learned new ways to care for herself emotionally. Sharon has determined that toxic friendships are identifiable, that you CAN heal and protect yourself from poisonous people in the future.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx
All Comments (21)
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If you are looking up toxic friend videos, you have a toxic friend. Welcome to the true cool kids corner 😂
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Easiest way to know you have a toxic friends, is when you feel like you are dying inside whenever you talk to or see them.
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It's terrifying leaving any friendship circle knowing that you'll have no one left
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a damaged person will eventually damage all their relationships in a very noticeable way.
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A scary thing is having to take a step back and realize if you are that toxic friend you know
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The best way to identify them is when you feel anxiety before meeting them...
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All this can be summarized by: “The best indicator of a relationship’s health is the way it makes you feel.”
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I think one of the hardest and most solidifying parts about leaving toxic friends is when you distance yourself and no one even notices.
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1. Making you compete with other friends. 2. Negative criticism. 3. Your friend tells you that you need to change. 4. Having to walk on eggshells. 5. Being on an emotional Roller coaster. 6. You listen to their issues but they don't listen to yours. 7. Who calls who and when. 8. The stress effects your health negatively. Credit to +StrangeViolette
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It takes me 16 years of toxic relationship one day I say enough is enough. I just stop picking up her call. I was always there for her she was never there for me. I become my own best friend. Thank you ma'am.
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I remember being in a very negative space, and I was the toxic friend. Everything she describes, I was. My friend was my therapist and everything was all about me. Poor girl. She did not deserve that. 😞 she separated herself from me and I was so mad, I thought she abandoned me. It took a lot of self reflection to realize that I was the problem, not her.
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the hardest part perhaps is taking a step away from that friendship without feeling like some sort of traitor
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Learn to be a loner, toxic people don't like independence. If you chose to have a friend rather than being desperate friends are easier to dump.
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You have to love your own company.
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Please set boundaries and be open and honest with your friends. If they react rude or offended then may be best not to be friends anymore. Saves time and hurt.
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Life is too short for toxic people
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I really hate the title "best friend". Seriously hate it. I want to have as many friends as I want and not have to pick just one to be the "best".
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The super attached friend usually ends up being a toxic friend. I found that my more healthy friends have their own lives, our friendship is important but not everything. So it’s important to have many friends. No one friend can meet all of our friendship needs. I also agree that “best friend” is a childish concept-I love each of my friends for their unique qualities, I don’t need to play favorites. I might be closer to one or two friends at a certain point in time, but that can change
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The worst thing is when you realize your friend is so much nicer to other friends of her. It should have been an eye-opening moment when I noticed it but I kind of forgot It. Thanks for the reminder! Sometimes it's not about bad people - it's more about bad relationships and the level power over each other. Toxic friendships is such an important topic.
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It’s hard to realize when a friendship is toxic, especially after it’s been years, then it seems like you can’t be without them, it becomes an addiction, a cycle, a routine.
