Signs You Should Drop That Toxic Friend From Your Life By New Year's

Maintaining friendships can be a tricky thing to do. They require balance and genuine input from both sides.

That's why all of us have watched even the best of friendships fade away over the years, and it happens for so many different reasons.

But how do you know when it's time to end a friendship? How do you figure out whether or not your friend should be in your life anymore?

Here are a few signs your friend is toxic and could be holding you back:

1. They often repeat their mistakes.

Mistakes are really just lessons to be learned.

Successful people see value in mistakes, and they know they're a great way to learn what doesn't work and how to improve.

People who repeat mistakes, however, don't get the lesson, and they remain stagnant.

This can apply to a wide array of choices.

Maybe your friend got back together with their SO who you both know doesn't treat them right. Even though they know it isn't right, they still insist they found "the one."

Or maybe, there's an issue with substance abuse, and no matter what happens, they see no reason to stop.

Sometimes it's emotional, like they continually let their anger get the best of them and say cruel things to people.

There are an infinite amount of mistakes people can make, but to do so continuously is a sign of toxicity.

2. They don't admit when they're wrong, or they blame others.

Justifying things isn't always bad.

Sometimes it brings relief and closure, but when your friend can NEVER admit they're wrong, that's a problem.

Taking responsibility is a part of growing up, and it is toxic to be around a friend who can't do that.

We've all had arguments with friends where we yell until we're blue in the face about something they clearly did wrong, but there's always an excuse.

Or even worse, they find a way to put you at fault for their own actions.

These types of people can sometimes even be dangerous. Knowing when you're wrong is also knowing when to walk away from a situation instead of letting it escalate.

If a person can't accept responsibility in your friendship, then they definitely can't in their real life, either.

3. They don't even acknowledge advice you give.

Sometimes, this happens in small cases, like they don't listen to directions, even though you know it's the fastest route.

Something small like that is obviously not worth ending a friendship over, but that way of thinking can cause problems.

We always go to our friends for advice. Sometimes they take it, and sometimes they tell us they disagree. Both of those are fine.

The issue is when they just seem to not listen to you at all. They'll say you're right and go do something completely different, or they'll just brush what you say off completely.

Nobody should feel like they're talking to a wall when they're talking to one of their friends.

Continuing the mistake theme, there's nothing more aggravating than seeing a friend make the same mistakes, even when you've tried to tell them ways to avoid it.

4. Their bad decisions are starting to affect your life.

When a ship sinks, you don't try to go down with it.

A friend's destructive decisions can sometimes hold unintended consequences for others.

It could be small, like borrowing money that you need just as much. Or it could be huge, like driving drunk and physically hurting you or other people.

These are the friends who will insist you go out the night before a big job interview because they want you to, or who want you to leave a partner because they don't get enough time with you now.

No matter how good of friends you are with a person, you should not stick around with someone who causes your own life to spiral out of control.

If you have a friend whom you thought of while reading this, then it may be time to start thinking of spending less time with that person.

If you feel the friendship can be fixed still, then that should also always be the first option. But, it's important to not wait until it's too late to get out of a toxic friendship.