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My friend is always negative towards me. What do I do?

275 Answers
Last Updated: 05/14/2022 at 3:18am
My friend is always negative towards me. What do I do?
1 Tip to Feel Better
United States
Moderated by

Elaine Kish, LMSW

Clinical Social Work/Therapist

My goal is to treat clients with respect and compassion. I am a supportive, strengths-based therapist with experience in treating mood disorders, grief, and trauma.

Top Rated Answers
BlondeSouthernBelle88
February 28th, 2018 5:59pm
i have negative friends personally and i try to be a positive influence on their life. show them that life is much better when you can be positive because pouring negativity and spilling it everywhere also effects the people around us. we dont know what type of day someone is having a flashing a smile at someone could possibly brighten their whole day and all you had to do was smile. nobody wants to be around a negative person, just showing them how much more fun it is to be positive then negative usually works for me
Anonymous
March 1st, 2018 7:04pm
Ask him why he's so negative towards you. The only person who knows what's going on is your friend.
Anonymous
March 2nd, 2018 1:07pm
The best thing to do is let them go.Never be friends with people who are toxic,and cause negativity in your life.Don't be best friends,or in a relationship with them, because it is very hard to deal with people like that!Or,if you already are best friends,or in a relationship,let me say something. One:The blame is on you the whole time,isn't it? Two:So,imagine you are having a fight with them.You say what you think,and they,of course,don't agree.The best thing to do,is to agreement.You need to pretend to agree with them,and act as if you were really the one that is wrong,and ''apologize''.Say something like:,,I now know,how bad I really am for you,so let's just not be best friends/in a relationship anymore.I'm really sorry that you had to deal with a bad person like me,and I really hope that you will find a better person for yourself.Sorry for everything i've done,and I really,really hope that you will find someone that is perfect for you''.This might sound wrong,but it may help you. Three:So,if the previous one worked,bravo!And if it didn't,get ready to do one of the hardest things in life:Let go.So,you need to avoid contact with them,and maybe even block them on social media.They will surely say:,,Why are you ignoring me?I'm your bff/boyfriend/girlfriend!''And what you need to say is something like:,,Well,I'vebeen thinking for a while,and I think that I am not the right person for you.I've done some really bad mistakes,and I wanted to say:I'm very sorry,and I think you really deserve a better person than me,and should see other people'' Four:They might want to come back to you,and what you need to do,is act normal,but don't act as if you were vlose.Act like your just friends.Or if you don't want to be friends with them,ignore them,and avoid being in the same friend group as them,because it will be more difficult.If the friend group they are in are your only friends,try finding other friends that might be right for you.And,if it's hard for you to find other friends,don't worry,you will find other people,there are 7 billion people in the world. And that's it!I hope this helped,and if it didn't,don't worry,:Everything ends good.If it's not good,it's not the end!
charmingBeauty55
March 8th, 2018 3:37pm
One obvious solution is to walk away from them. But this is easier said than done; while we could always walk away from the bartender with a bad attitude or the airline agent with an anger-management problem, we can’t walk away from a parent, sibling, spouse, colleague, or friend with a negative attitude. A more practical approach to dealing with them is to start by understanding the reasons for their negativity. In brief, almost all negativity has its roots in one of three deep-seated fears: the fear of being disrespected by others, the fear of not being loved by others, and the fear that “bad things” are going to happen. These fears feed off each other to fuel the belief that “the world is a dangerous place and people are generally mean.”
WantToHelpp
March 9th, 2018 6:11am
I would ask why they are being negative. And tell them to stop. If they don’t stop I’d highly recommend to slowly stop hanging out with them. They can really make you feel bad about yourself. And that’s not okay.
sheknows1188
March 28th, 2018 9:45am
I suggest you confront your friend and ask her/him as to why he/she shows negativity towards you as it may be because there's some misunderstanding between the two of you.
Anonymous
March 30th, 2018 8:46pm
cut them off let them know how you feel they arn't your friend if the are mean and negative to you
KingRaavana
April 1st, 2018 11:36pm
1. First of all, stop calling that person a friend. 2. Make a list of negative points put forth by him/her. 3. Write down a remedy plan to correct only first three and improve yourself. 4. Cross out the ones you've overcome by the next day/week. 5. Write down at least as many positive traits of your critic as many your negative points. 6. Thank that person for pointing out your shortcomings. 6. Post the negative list on your refrigerator and keep ensuring yourself it's good to have someone criticize you all the time.
Anonymous
April 7th, 2018 10:13am
Your friend shouldn't be negative towards you. Ask them kindly to stop being negative because it is hurting you and you do not like it.
Anonymous
April 11th, 2018 3:58pm
Tell her this next time she's negative. You may also bring up negative things she has told you, which hurt you. Be calm, though! Use giraffe language to explain what you need from your friend, why you feel hurt, and suggest what they should do to act more positively? Or at least be aware they're potentially hurting your feelings!
kindHand56
April 14th, 2018 10:24am
You have to retire making this friend happy around you. Make your self-happy and tell her to make herself happy too then rekindle the friendship...
courageousIris14
April 15th, 2018 1:49am
Talk with your friend and express your feelings. She/He may be having some issues that you might be able to help them with. Never assume it’s about you personally until you discuss the issue. Good luck!!...
Anonymous
April 15th, 2018 9:09am
If you feel hurt by the way they act negatively towards you, talk to them about it, either face to face or online, whatever you feel comfortable with. Tell them about how specific instances they acted towards you were negative and tell them how you felt as a result. Provided they value your friendship they will understand and take your feelings into consideration. If they dismiss what you say and continue acting negatively towards you, find out why. Depending on their answer it may be a better option to move on from their friendship.
Anonymous
April 22nd, 2018 5:11am
If they're bringing you down, or not listening to you, don't share things with them anymore. Instead, watch them closely and they'll tell you what they're really up to.
Nasrz8
April 28th, 2018 8:32am
You may have two options here: 1) If you like him/her, try to advice him/her about being more positive and knowing their mistakes. 2) if you don't really care about losing him/her, gradually stay away from them, it's for your own good.
BrandonCares1074
May 5th, 2018 2:01am
You should have a talk with him/her and tell them how you feel. They may change their attitude and if not, it is ok to let your parents know.
xxLittleCheerleaderxx
May 6th, 2018 2:22pm
you need to get out of that relationship. the friendship is bad for you and it is toxic. it will only make you feel worse about yourself and make you feel as if you did something wrong, which you didnt.
AnimalisticLife
May 9th, 2018 2:43am
You should address the issue to your friend and if they respond bad, he’s not s good friend to you and you deserve better
Priscilaxx
May 10th, 2018 1:03am
Letting go of a friend can be scary but there is no need to be around someone who brings you down constantly. You will always meet new people in life. Sometimes letting go of a negative friend can be a breath of fresh air.
Anonymous
May 11th, 2018 4:06pm
No one deserves to have someone be negative towards them and it isn’t right. Is there any reason why your friend is negative to you specifically? It could be that your friend is going through some difficulties and handling it badly, but that doesn’t excuse the negativity. One way to solve this problem is to ask your friend directly, and solve it directly. However, negative comments can lower your self esteem, so hanging around with other friends can help, as you will be shown appreciation and won’t have such negativity directed towards you. The main thing is to not let the comments get to you. It’s really easy for a small insult to hurt you, but the important thing is to not let it get to you. If you can’t fix things with that friend, you need to remember that such negativity isn’t nice to be around, and no one deserves that.
Anonymous
May 19th, 2018 1:52pm
IF you’re friend is negative towards you , she / he is not a real friend . You have to distance your self from them if you think that’s not going to work you can just talk to them and tell them how you feel and if they don’t seem to care just stop being friends with them and keep moving on about your life , friends aren’t always the answer they can become distractions and many more
enlightenedHeart75
May 30th, 2018 6:47am
You should speak to your friend about this situation because no one deserves a friend like that. If the friend doesn't listen and continues to treat you negatively maybe its best you's don't stay friends
medlgbtoutandproud
May 31st, 2018 3:31am
Remove these people from your life. Keep only positive friends around you as it empowers you having them around. Negative ones are there to pull you down and affects your mood or the way you work. It is best to remove them from your life. Plus a friend is supposed to be supportive, not picking on your mistakes and discouraging.
caringarrow123
June 7th, 2018 10:21pm
She/he might have something upsetting going on in her life, offer her your support. She might not even realise how shes/hes making you feel.
Anonymous
June 8th, 2018 3:16am
If this friend is always negative towards you, maybe it is best to distance yourself from them. You could also try asking politely if they could change their behavior towards you.
enigmaticCreature43
June 8th, 2018 7:03am
That can be a frustrating situation, someone who you feel is close to you can have a big influence on your future and you don’t want negativeity to allow you to not function in a variety of areas. Relationships are two sided so both people should benefit from interacting. You could say something to the other person to let them know how you feel, for example:we have been friends for awhile now but lately I have felt like you haven’t treated me like a friend. Or I feel like you don’t treat me with respect and that hurts my feelings, etc. (it often helps to say statements in the format: I feel like... because)It may be hard to confront this problem as you don’t know how the other person will act or what they will say, or if they won’t be your friend anymore, probably worse case cenrio. But you can hopefully find better friends, not all people are bad,or you may find that your friend was unaware of how you felt and how they were treating you and then they may try to make amends, but if a relationship really is abusive then you should not let that impact your life for the worst. You shouldn’t feel anxious all the time, so I’m the mist of life I hope you find happiness.
Taconnie72
June 12th, 2018 3:41am
Calmly talk to her and say you don’t want to be friends with her if she keeps acting like this. Try to stay calm while saying this so your friend stays calm. If they get mad just stop talking to them and give them their space.
Anonymous
June 14th, 2018 9:42am
You can talk to him/her about it. Maybe he/she doesn’t want to offend you or push you away. If you are at school or at work maybe they’re stressed.
Anonymous
June 14th, 2018 8:12pm
I’ve been through something exactly like this before. I would try to give your friend some space to start with and try to see what the cause of this is. Surround yourself with positive people in life and if this person isn’t doing this you need to change who you’re talking to. Give it time as it heals most things
LovelyLinaeBza
June 16th, 2018 5:15am
Try asking your friend what is causing her/him to be negative around you. Clarify the situation and ask if it can be fixed. Find a solution.