18 Reasons I Don't Want to Be Friends Anymore

By Britt Stephens
POPSUGAR Photography | Sisilia Piring
POPSUGAR Photography | Sisilia Piring

There are many reasons a friendship ends: maybe you've grown apart, maybe there's a toxic energy, maybe they hooked up with your significant other. Whatever the catalyst, some of these relationships just don't stand the test of time. It can be frustrating and disappointing, but also freeing. This list is an amalgamation of things I've felt in the past, things I feel now, and things I've heard from friends about their friends. The truth can hurt, but here it is.

  1. You got married, and that's all you talk about.
  2. You had a baby (or are having a baby), and that's all you talk about.
  3. You rarely call, text, or reach out beyond "liking" an Instagram photo or Facebook status.
  4. When you do call or text, we only talk about you.
  5. We have very little (if anything) in common anymore.
  6. The effort is imbalanced, and I'm the only one who initiates plans. When we hang out, it's because I asked you, or, even sadder, because I invited myself.
  7. You project your goals (and fears) onto me. Just because you want certain things doesn't mean I need to want them too.
  8. You think my depression is just an excuse to sulk.
  9. You think my decision to leave the town we grew up in and move to a big city means that I think I'm better than you. It doesn't.
  10. You tell me I'll "move back" to that town eventually. I won't.
  11. I can't call you in an emergency.
  12. You treat our friendship like a competition.
  13. I feel like I constantly need to impress you.
  14. You don't take me seriously.
  15. You make backhanded compliments that make me feel bad about myself.
  16. I don't feel comfortable telling you certain things because I know you'll tell mutual friends.
  17. You ask me if I'm going to finish my french fries when you know I'm going to finish my french fries.
  18. I completely overestimated how much I mean to you.