Finding a friend to share your life with is a beautiful blessing. But some people who pose as your friends are nothing more than a wolf in sheep’s clothing. A frenemy is out for themselves, and they will use and abuse you to get what they want.
Even the best friendships have their share of ups and downs. Sometimes you question whether your buddy has your best interests at heart. Sadly, it would help if you differentiate between someone who is a frenemy from someone loyal. Friendship should bring joy and happiness to your life, even during rough times.
Being involved with a frenemy seems like one dramatic battle after another. You find yourself more exhausted from your interactions than uplifted. It’s often hard to see the signs of such a person initially, but a few months into the relationship can often be forth-telling.
10 Warning Signs of a Hidden Frenemy (Not an Authentic Friend)
One way to spot a fake friend is by how you feel around them. They may give you a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach, as your intuition knows that something isn’t right.
Maybe they’re so negative and downtrodden that they give you a headache just being in their presence. If you’re curious about how you can tell the difference between this clever enemy, here are a few tips to help you protect your heart.
1. A Frenemy Loves to Make Everything a Competition
You need a new vehicle as yours is on its last leg, so when you make your purchase, they also get a new car. If you get a new haircut, they need a new style too. They’re always trying to one-up you as they need to upstage you to make themselves feel better.
While engaging in a little healthy competition is okay, you should never steal someone else’s spotlight. You’re undoubtedly buying a vehicle for no reason other than need. However, their motives aren’t so pure. They make everything so competitive that it’s suffocating.
It would help if you never had to hide purchases or accomplishments in life from a friend, as they should be celebrating with you.
2. Toxic Friends Have Passive-Aggressive Tendencies
A passive-aggressive friendship is toxic. While some frenemies are apparent, some use more subtle tactics. The passive-aggressive personality will never directly confront you when you’ve done something to upset them.
However, they like to make snarky comments under their breath when you’re around. For instance, You’re in public with a large group of friends. Everyone is happy and praising you for your job promotion, and they’re celebrating how you’re climbing the corporate ladder.
Well, almost everyone is celebrating; it’s apparent that your so-called friend is jealous and not happy about it. Rather than confronting you and stating how they feel directly, they murmur negative comments for people to hear. They say things like these statements:
“We all know how you got that job.” “That job is a piece of cake; anyone can advance there.” “You only got a $1.00 an hour raise. I don’t see what’s the big deal.”
The passive-aggressive person will say these comments softly but keep their volume loud enough so people can hear. These are acts of a desperate individual to get the attention switched from you to them. According to the National Library of Medicine, this personality disorder is often called negativistic because they live in a realm of constant negativity. Additionally, if a parent has this disorder, it increases the chances that their offspring will inherit it.
3. A Frenemy Will Gossip About You Behind
…
Click here to read this complete article.
