How to Deal with Troubled or "Toxic" Friendships
Makena Metheny
Friendship and relationship problems are very common amongst middle and high schoolers. It can sometimes be difficult to get along with your friends or agree on things. Disagreeing and getting into arguments can lead to rude things being said and could make the situation worse than it already is. It can be hard to "be the bigger person" or have self-control to handle the situation the right way. But let's say you and your friend (or a group of friends) just recently got into an argument, and maybe a few things were said that weren't the nicest. Then, no one could agree on how to make things better or make actually happened. Tensions are high and you don't know what to do. So, you start asking yourself, "Do I keep trying to make the situation better and talk it over with them?" or "Should I distance myself from them and move on?" These situations can be really difficult but here are a few tips to help you through them!
First, figure out what went wrong. See if you can figure out what happened and if you messed up so you can apologize to make things right. Secondly, try to talk to that person (or people) to work things out and resolve the problem. When talking, be sure to stick to the facts and keep calm. Also, try to come up with a compromise that will make things better and benefit each of you. Remember it's a compromise, so you may not agree with all of it. Be sure to let them explain their side of the story as well and be respective while listening. After you have worked out the problem work on the friendship and make sure you are communicating and being nice to one another. But sometimes things don't work out and that's okay, because not every friendship or relationship will work out. It may be best to get "toxic" people out of your life. If you are having friendship or relationship problems try out some of these tips and remember if things don't work out everything will be okay!
Makena Metheny
Friendship and relationship problems are very common amongst middle and high schoolers. It can sometimes be difficult to get along with your friends or agree on things. Disagreeing and getting into arguments can lead to rude things being said and could make the situation worse than it already is. It can be hard to "be the bigger person" or have self-control to handle the situation the right way. But let's say you and your friend (or a group of friends) just recently got into an argument, and maybe a few things were said that weren't the nicest. Then, no one could agree on how to make things better or make actually happened. Tensions are high and you don't know what to do. So, you start asking yourself, "Do I keep trying to make the situation better and talk it over with them?" or "Should I distance myself from them and move on?" These situations can be really difficult but here are a few tips to help you through them!
First, figure out what went wrong. See if you can figure out what happened and if you messed up so you can apologize to make things right. Secondly, try to talk to that person (or people) to work things out and resolve the problem. When talking, be sure to stick to the facts and keep calm. Also, try to come up with a compromise that will make things better and benefit each of you. Remember it's a compromise, so you may not agree with all of it. Be sure to let them explain their side of the story as well and be respective while listening. After you have worked out the problem work on the friendship and make sure you are communicating and being nice to one another. But sometimes things don't work out and that's okay, because not every friendship or relationship will work out. It may be best to get "toxic" people out of your life. If you are having friendship or relationship problems try out some of these tips and remember if things don't work out everything will be okay!
Photo used under Creative Commons from Tambako the Jaguar
