 Hi, Psych2Goers and welcome back to our channel. Thank you all so much for the love and support that you give us. Your ongoing support has helped us make psychology and mental health more accessible to everyone. So let's continue. Have you ever had a perfect friendship turn sour? Were you guys the best of friends, but now you don't even talk at all? Friendships change over time. Some friendships strengthen and deepen, or they can fall apart and become toxic. If a friendship does become toxic, it can be because people change, personalities start to differ, and it can result in you and your friend not getting along as well as you used to. With that said, here are 7 signs your friendship has turned toxic. 1. You hesitate to share good news with them. Are you afraid or hesitant to share good news with your friend? Do you find that you'd rather keep the good news to yourself? One reason you could be holding back is because you notice that they seem jealous of you. Instead of being happy for you, your friend is envious that the same thing isn't happening to them too. Feelings of jealousy can crop up when they view your success as their failure, or your friend could be looking for ways to one-up you and choose to brag on themselves when you tell them your good news. This makes them feel that they look better than you. Neither of these things are good mindsets for a healthy friendship. 2. You aren't comfortable around them. Do you keep your guard up around them? Are you uncomfortable speaking your mind? Your hesitance and fully expressing yourself is another sign of a toxic friendship. According to psychologist Susan Heitler and Sharon Livingston from Psychology Today, walking on eggshells around your friends is a sign that your relationship has changed for the worse. Your friend may be very critical, or explode on you if you say the wrong thing. They might get defensive when you disagree with them, and this leads to you being extra cautious with your words and behaviors around them. 3. Being around them stresses you out. Did you know that being in a toxic relationship can physically stress you out? Toxic friendships can actually do damage to your body, as well as your mind. According to Heitler and Livingston from Psychology Today, one of the many benefits of a good friendship is that it boosts your immune system, but a toxic one does the opposite. The stress and anxiety from dealing with a toxic friendship can cause headaches, physical weakness, and stomach aches. 4. Your self-esteem is declining. Have you been doubting yourself and your abilities in ways that you hadn't before? Is your friend's voice in your head pointing out all of your faults? In an article from Thrive Gullful, life coach Kelly Rudolph explains that toxic friends will start to lower your self-confidence. They attack you with their words, and find small ways to insult you and tear you down. When you've known someone for a long time, they know which buttons to push, and they make you feel down on yourself with their repeated insults and rude comments. 5. You can't get a word in. Does your friend spend a lot of time talking about themselves and never really asks about you? According to an article from The Oprah Magazine, friendships with an imbalance in conversation can turn toxic because it makes you feel like you aren't being heard. It's important to have an equal balance in communication. Like when giving advice and asking for help. When there's an imbalance, you may feel like your needs are constantly downplayed in favor of your friend's needs when the conversation always has to lead back to them. 6. You feel drained. Do you have a friend who drains you more than they energize you? When you have a friend who's always in the middle of some drama or going through an emotional crisis, this can be draining on you. You may find yourself immediately consoling your friend, giving them advice and being put in a kind of therapist role as their friend. If you find yourself constantly being the shoulder to cry on, this can lead to you feeling overwhelmed and wiped out due to their high emotional needs. 7. You feel used. Does your friend only call you when they need something, like a ride or homework help? Does it sometimes feel like they're taking advantage of you? If a friend asks for help and you're willing to give it, that's totally fine. But if it's the only time your friend gets in contact with you, it shows that you're just using you. And they don't truly value your friendship. Do you think you have any friends like this? Did we miss any other signs of toxicity between friends? Let us know in the comments. Please like and share this video if it helped you, and you think it could help someone else too. The studies and references used are listed in the description below. Don't forget to hit the subscribe button for more Psych2Go videos, and thank you for watching. We'll see you next time.