Holding you hand while we say this: The right friends and healthy partners bring value to your life—not drain you. Setting boundaries and building a squad that truly cares and supports you is all about surrounding yourself with the right people. (Think: quality over quantity.) Not sure exactly what that looks like? Here are 5 red flags you should be aware of so you can save yourself a *lot* of heartbreak.
Love Bombing
Picture this: you’re being showered with flowers, heart eye emojis and compliments, but you can’t help but feel like you’re living in a fairytale. Adorable, right? There comes a point where the overload of affection gets overbearing too fast and too soon. This is love bombing—a tactic friends or potential partners can use to control and manipulate.
Passive Aggressiveness
When it comes to mixed signals, passive-aggressive friends have it down to a science. One minute, they’re telling you “Wow, you actually look nice today,” and the next, they’re posting a shady Instagram story that seems oddly specific. We’re leaving sarcasm and backhanded compliments behind—because low-vibration friendships were never on our mood board.
Gaslighting
Ever had someone in your life who would make hurtful comments, deny it and then spin it around to make it seem like you’re the villain? Gaslighters twist situations so it looks like you’re the problem and make you doubt your own reality. This usually sounds like: “You’re being so dramatic” or “I never said that.” That constant doubt and second-guessing can definitely mess with your confidence. Ditch the people who don’t take accountability and surround yourself with those who validate your feelings and see things from your perspective.
Making everything a competition
The people closest to you should be your biggest cheerleaders, not secretly competing with you. When you share good news, show off a new outfit or tell them you got an A on an exam, they should be the ones hyping you up rather than trying to one-up you—because real friends and partners celebrate each other’s wins.
Ghosting
There’s nothing spookier than someone who ghosts you, especially when you need them the most. These kinds of people always want to have access to you (and get annoyed when you’re not available), but the second you need them, they disappear and leave you feeling abandoned. You deserve to be with someone who doesn’t vanish when things get hard or make you feel like you’re an inconvenience.
In your feels? We gotchu. Check out these posts:
💕The non-cringey way to approach your new school crush
🏹QUIZ! Which Fisher brother would be your soulmate?
💌Are they into you…or just friendly?
Slider image: @realglowhouse
Top Image: @spencer.barbosa
