The ending of a friendship can be heart-breaking.

Whether you were friends for three months or thirty years, the breaking of a friendship can be devastating—and it’s never typically easy, but sometimes breaking up can be the best thing you do for yourself and the other person. When things go wrong for a long period of time, when a friendship has become unhealthy and destructive, no matter how difficult it is, it could be time to make space for something new and nurturing.

10 signs it might be time for a friendship break-up:

1. Instead of being supportive and encouraging, the friendship turns critical, judgemental and condescending.

2. You feel uncomfortable or tense around the other person.

3. Conversations become more argumentative than not.

4. You notice that you’re trash talking the other person to your boyfriend/girlfriend and other friends.

5. You feel a loss of energy, anger or disappointment after spending time with the other person.

6. You constantly feel as if the other person brings out the worst in you.

7. You feel as if the other person’s bad mood becomes your problem and you start to live out that bad mood.

8. When you aren’t in touch or when you leave the other person, you feel a sense of utter relief.

9. You feel bullied or manipulated and are fearful to disappoint the other person.

10. You feel as if you can’t share your joy and happiness with the other person.

Perhaps by identifying if the friendships we have are meaningful or if they are just an obligatory unhealthy habit, we take a step toward creating a bit more positive space in our lives.

Have you ever broken up with a friend?

How did you know it was over?