There are some good reasons to get rid of pessimistic friends. Of course you don’t want to get rid of a friend that is just having a bad day or going through a difficult time. Everyone goes through that from time to time. But if your friend is always seeing the negative side of life, it may be time to consider these reasons to get rid of pessimistic friends.
Pessimistic friends can bring you down. You can be going along having a great day and their pessimistic attitude kills it. This can steal the good mood from you. When you have a great day, you don’t want to lose it because someone is raining on your parade. This is one of the good reasons to get rid of pessimistic friends.
The negativity of a pessimistic friend isn't just annoying—it can be contagious. Before you know it, their bleak perspective starts to tint your own outlook. It's like they've got a dark lens that they're constantly suggesting you look through, turning your bright skies gray. More than just putting a damper on your day, this type of negativity can sap your energy and leave you feeling drained, which is why keeping your distance might just keep your spirits lifted.
Sadly, the pessimistic attitude of others can rub off on you. This is true of whatever your friend’s personality traits are. You can’t help but pick up on a little of their personality if you spend a lot of time together. For this reason, it’s good to be careful about whom you choose as your friends. Choosing friends with good personality traits can be a good influence in your life.
A pessimistic friend can get in the habit of expecting you to cheer them up. Of course this is what friends are for but if you have a pessimistic friend, you know this is an almost everyday thing. Friendship should be a relationship where you both give and take. Pessimistic friends can just be takers. This can steal your own joy over time.
Pessimistic friends sometimes struggle with being happy for you when something good happens in your life. They may be so stuck in their cycle of negativity that they can’t come up with a positive response when you share happy news. They may also start listing all of the negatives that could accompany whatever good thing happened for you. No one needs that. You deserve friends that are happy for you when you’re happy.
Everyone has a day or two where they may be a little pessimistic. You can allow your friends that. But if your friend is constantly pessimistic, you may feel as if they always bring a dark cloud over your day. If you feel that way, it may be wise to find some more optimistic friends. You can even keep your pessimistic friend but perhaps spend a little less time with them.
Maybe you’ve made it a goal to work on becoming optimistic in your own life. This is a great goal to have. There are many benefits of being an optimistic person, including having better health. Your pessimistic friends can really kill the optimistic outlook that you have worked so hard to have. If this is the case, it might be the time to find some different friends.
An optimistic friend is going to spread optimism into your life. A pessimistic friend is going to spread pessimism into your life. Maybe you can be a friend to someone who is pessimistic and help them out. But you don’t want to spend time with that friend only. If you do, their pessimistic attitude is going to spill over into your life, which isn’t a good thing.
These are some reasons you may need to get rid of your pessimistic friends. Have you ever had a pessimistic friend? How did you deal with that?