You will find a lot of information online about how to eliminate negative friendships from your life. However, what if the source of negativity is coming from you?
It isn’t always easy to recognize when you are being negative. Some people have no idea how their negativity is impacting others. So, if your friendships have been suffering lately and you aren’t sure why, it could be down to your own mindset.
Here, we’ll look at how your own negativity could be affecting your friendships and what you can do about it.
Are You a Negative Friend?
It isn’t always easy to identify negativity in ourselves. Many people are unaware that they are projecting negativity onto others. So, how can you identify if you are a negative friend? Here’s a few signs to look out for:
- You find it hard keeping friends
- You make plans knowing you’ll cancel them
- You don’t check in first or see how your friends are doing
- Most conversations are about you
- Your friends don’t seek you out for for emotional support
Now, some of these signs may not be down to your own negativity. For example, you may not check in first with your friends because it used to always be you initiating contact. In that case, you wouldn’t necessarily be a negative friend.
Many people find it hard to keep friends. However, if you generally find it easy to make friends and not keep them, there may be a problem. Assess your friendships, including those from the past. Is there a pattern and could it be down to your negativity?
Life gets busy and it isn’t always easy to keep in touch with friends. However, if you literally never contact anyone first, this is a sign you are a negative friend. Remember, friendships are a two-way street. Your friends need to know you care about them too.
Similarly, if you make plans knowing you’ll cancel them, and make all conversations about you, these are also negative friend traits.
The Impact Negativity Has on Friendships
So, why is it important to be a more positive friend? The main one is that negativity can literally kill friendships. After all, who wants to spend time with someone who is always negative. It brings down their mood, leading them to feel more depressed or drained after they have been around you.
Another way negativity impacts friendships, is that it is bad for the heart. Studies have shown that negative friendships affect our heart health. So, you could unintentionally be causing your friends health issues with your constant negativity. These are just some of the problems you can cause if you are a negative friend.
When you bring negativity into your friendships, you won’t have strong relationships. Healthy friendships are important for our health and wellbeing. So, if you do identify as a negative friend, now’s the time to start working on adjusting your mindset. It might not be easy; but, doing so will ensure you have much healthier and happier friendships.