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Top 15 Ways to Spot a Toxic Friend Before It’s Too Late
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Jun 26, 2025
Not all friends are good for you. 😞 Some people pretend to care but quietly drain your energy, hurt your confidence, or hold you back. In this video, we’ll share the Top 15 clear signs that someone might be a toxic friend — and how to notice them early, before they do more damage. These signs are easy to miss, but once you know what to look for, you can protect yourself and your peace. ✅ In this video, you’ll learn: ✔️ What toxic friendship behavior looks like ✔️ How to trust your gut ✔️ When it’s time to walk away You deserve real, honest, and supportive friendships. 💙 💬 Have you ever had to let go of a toxic friend? Share your story in the comments — you’re not alone. 👍 Don’t forget to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and hit the 🔔 for more mental wellness & life advice.
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0:00
hello truth seekers welcome to our
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channel Top 10s You Should Know ever
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felt drained after hanging out with a
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friend like you've been rung out like a
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sponge
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what if I told you that friend might be
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secretly toxic and you didn't even know
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it today we're revealing top 15 ways to
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spot a toxic friend before it's too late
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from sneaky red flags to bold boundary
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breaks these signs will make you rethink
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every relationship hit that like button
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subscribe if you're new and let's turn
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Why do I feel empty into I choose my
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tribe oh and don't miss 14 it's tied to
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Nobel Prizewinning research on emotional
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resilience let's dive in one constant
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negativity the emotional vampire raise
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your hand if you've ever left a hangout
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exhausted not energized
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toxic friends drain your energy by
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dwelling on drama whether it's gossip
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complaints or backhanded compliments a
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Psychology Today study found chronic
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negativity spikes cortisol by 30%
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weakening immunity here's my ritual i
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used to hang out with a friend who only
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talked about her ex now I steer
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conversations how can I help you move
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forward one viewer wrote "I stopped
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meeting my toxic friend for coffee and
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my anxiety vanished." Science snack
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negativity rewires your brain to expect
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the worst this is called cognitive
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distortion pro tip: Set a time limit
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let's catch up for 30 minutes then I've
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got a call two jealousy in disguise fake
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support ever share a win only to get a
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side eye or sarcastic congrats toxic
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friends fake support but feel jealousy
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deep down a Harvard Business Review
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survey found 60% of toxic relationships
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start with envy my wakeup call a friend
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rolled her eyes when I got a promotion
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oh nice but I'm way more qualified big
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red flag now I ask do they celebrate my
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wins or shrink them science snack
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jealousy often stems from insecurity not
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your fault pro tip trust your gut if
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their praise feels off it probably is
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three gaslighting doubting your reality
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gaslighting isn't just for movies it's
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real life a Mayo Clinic report found
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gaslighters make you question your
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memory judgment or sanity you never said
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that or you're too sensitive are classic
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lines my ritual i used to doubt myself
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after a friend denied a conversation we
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definitely had now I journal
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interactions one viewer wrote "I
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recorded conversations and realized my
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friend lied constantly science snack
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gaslighting erodess selfrust key for
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mental health." Pro tip: Say "Let's not
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argue i remember it this way." And
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that's okay four never takes
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accountability always the victim toxic
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friends never say "I messed up." They
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blame everyone else work family even you
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a journal of personality and social
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psychology study found chronic
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blameshifting correlates with
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narcissistic traits here's where it gets
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real one friend blamed me for her
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breakup you didn't text me enough nope
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now I say this isn't about me it's about
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your choices
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science snack healthy relationships
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balance accountability and forgiveness
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five always needs more emotional
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blackmail ever feel like you're walking
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on eggshells toxic friends guilt trip
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you with you never listen or I'm nothing
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without you a therapist guide to
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boundaries found 70% of emotionally
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blackmailed people develop anxiety my
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story a friend once said "If you leave
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now I'll be alone forever i stayed and
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regretted it now I say I care but I
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can't be your only support system."
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Science snack blackmail hijacks empathy
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it's a manipulation tool pro tip: Use
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the broken record method i understand
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but I can't stay six they're only around
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when they need something fair weather
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friend fairweather friends vanish when
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you need them but show up when they need
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favors a Stanford study found one-sided
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friendships increase loneliness by 50%
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here's my hack i stopped lending money
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to a friend who only called when broke
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result: She ghosted me one viewer raved
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"I realized my friend only texted when
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she wanted free stuff and cut her
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loose." Science snack healthy
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friendships are mutual no hidden agendas
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pro tip: track interactions if they're
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all their needs it's time to walk
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seven they criticize everything
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undermining your confidence does your
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friend always have a snarky comment that
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dress makes you look smaller in a bad
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way a journal of social and clinical
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psychology study linked constant
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criticism to long-term self-doubt my
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ritual i used to accept jokes about my
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weight now I say that hurts one viewer
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wrote "I stopped laughing at their jokes
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and gained my confidence back." Science
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snack criticism triggers shame it's not
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just teasing pro tip: Use humor to
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deflect wow harsh let's talk about
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something fun eight they make you feel
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guilty for saying no guilt trip master
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ever say "I can't tonight and get fine
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i'll ask someone real supportive." Toxic
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friends weaponize guilt to control you a
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University of Michigan experiment found
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guilt tripping reduces self-esteem by
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40% here's my hack i used to apologize
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for every no now I say "I'd love to help
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but I need to prioritize X first." One
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viewer raved "I stopped feeling guilty
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and now I sleep better." Science snack
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guilt distorts reality it's not your
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fault pro tip: Practice the gray rock
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method keep responses short and neutral
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nine they're passive aggressive the
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silent storm passive aggressive friends
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withhold instead of speaking up a Forbes
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leadership coach warns this behavior
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erodess trust and creates anxiety here's
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where it gets personal a friend once
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gave me the cold shoulder after I said
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no to a favor i chased her with "Did I
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do something wrong?" Big mistake now I
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say "I'm sorry you're upset but I won't
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guess what's wrong." Science snack
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passive aggression is a form of
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emotional manipulation pro tip: Call it
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out i notice you're upset can we talk
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about it 10 they lack empathy cold
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shoulder in disguise healthy friendships
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thrive on empathy toxic ones stone cold
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a Cambridge study found low empathy
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friends increase depression risk by 25%
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here's my ritual i used to vent to a
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friend who'd say "I don't get why you're
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sad now I seek people who say "That
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sounds hard." One viewer raved "I
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stopped calling my sister when she never
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listened and now I've got real friends."
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Science snack empathy lights up the
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brain's mirror neurons key for
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connection pro tip: test their reaction
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to crisis i'm having a rough time do
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they listen or change the subject 11
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they drag you down the misery magnet
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raise your hand if you've ever been
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pulled into their spiral of despair
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toxic friends thrive on misery and drag
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you into it a Harvard Thchan School
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study found 80% of people in toxic
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friendships reported increased sadness
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here's my hack i stopped going to late
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night rants about their ex result: My
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mood lifted one viewer wrote "I ditched
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a friend who hated my success and found
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real ones." Science snack misery loves
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company but you don't have to join pro
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tip: Ask "Do I feel lighter or heavier
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after seeing them?" 12 they ghost you
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disappearing act ever plan to meet and
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they ghost you a journal of social and
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personal relationship study found
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chronic ghosting correlates with
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narcissism and emotional instability my
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ritual i stopped chasing a friend who
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vanished midcono result: My inbox
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cleared and my peace returned one viewer
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raved "They disappear for weeks then act
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like nothing happened now I'm gone for
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good." Science snack ghosting signals
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avoidance not friendship pro tip: Use
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the gray rock method don't react they'll
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lose interest
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13 they never celebrate your wins
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jealousy alert ever share a win like a
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raise or relationship and get crickets
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toxic friends avoid celebrating you a
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psychological science study found people
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with jealous friends develop two acts
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more self-doubt here's where it gets
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real i told my friend I got into grad
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school and she said "That's cool i'm
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sure it's not that hard." Ouch now I
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share wins with people who cheer me on
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science snack healthy friendships boost
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dopamine jealousy kills it pro tip watch
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how they react to your good news number
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14 cold exposure the Nobel hack for
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resilience okay this one sounds wild but
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hear me out nobel Prizewinning research
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on cold adaptation found short bursts of
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cold like a 30-second splash boost brown
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fat which sharpens focus and silences
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emotional noise when I had a big
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conversation to have with a toxic friend
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I did a cold plunge result: My mind
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stayed sharp i stood my ground one
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viewer wrote "I cold dipped before
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cutting off a manipulator and felt
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unstoppable science snack cold exposure
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activates norepinephrine a hormone that
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zaps anxiety protip start small splash
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wrists or take brisk walks." 15 they
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cross your boundaries repeatedly healthy
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friendships respect your limits toxic
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ones trample them a Psychology Today
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survey found 70% of people in toxic
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relationships had their boundaries
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ignored here's my ritual i once told a
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friend "Please don't talk about my
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weight." She kept doing it so I cut ties
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one viewer wrote "I said I won't gossip
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and they left me alone." Science snack
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boundaries protect mental health no
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guilt needed pro tip: Use the broken
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record method i said no I won't repeat
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myself which red flag hit home let me
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know in the comments i love hearing your
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stories smash that subscribe button if
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you're ready to clean up your circle and
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tap the bell so you never miss a tip
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until next time remember toxic friends
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don't define your worth you do
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