When to Walk Away from Toxic Friendships. The fact is that friends are an extremely important thing for mental health.toxic friendships (ad) However, not all healthy relationships need to be maintained. So how do you know when it’s time to step away from the case? Here is my perspective:. The first angle is Emotional Impact. If you feel that a friend is beginning to feel toxic and your overall emotional state suffers from this, then something is wrong. Friends should not make you emotionally pullback – the main task is to support and inspire you. However, if a direct discussion of such a feature of interaction with a friend does not lead to anything, it’s time to cut off. The second is Patterns of Behavior.. Does your friend often abuse sarcasm at your address, belittle you, and does this happen exponentially? This indicates a destructive dynamic in which your self-esteem is gradually eroding. Your friend should not get pleasure from the psychological jerk of you. The last one is Communication and Resolution. Sometimes the Step Three stage can lead to positive changes.. On the contrary, your concern may be ignored, or it will cause an even more stringent defense reaction – this speaks of disrespect for your feelings. In this case, your healthiest solution would be to retreat. Therefore, relationships should always be a source of warmth and joy, not pain and negativity.