SALT LAKE CITY, UT (Good Things Utah) – Having friends is important to everyone’s well-being, but when a friend becomes toxic, it’s important to know when to cut the cord. Marci Hopkins, best-selling author and TV host, joined us today to talk about the best ways to detox from friends who are dragging you down.

The first step into cutting off toxic friends is evaluating if those friends are adding value to your life. Having more friends doesn’t necessarily mean that these friends are all great people, and when it comes to friendships it’s about quality over quantity. Some ways to evaluate these friendships is to ask yourself if your friends are listening to your needs, if they are contributing to your life, and if they’re uplifting you when you are around them.

Throughout our lives, many people will go through different stages where they will need certain people to help them through these life phases. People come in and out of our lives for a reason, said Marci, and sometimes friendships are there to teach us lessons or to support us. Sometimes you may lose lifelong friends because of this, but just because you have had a friend forever does not mean they still fit in your life now. Everyone changes as they go through life, and when you release negative friends you allow space for new people to support you where you are today. 

Friends can often trigger good or bad behavior, and friends that you do unhealthy things with will continue to encourage those unhealthy habits in your life. If you are trying to make positive changes in your life, you need to surround yourself with people who have common interests and will support these healthy changes.

To attract more positive people in your life, you need to be the person you want to attract. We are often drawn to like minded people, and if you are positive, kind, and uplifting, you will find people like this in your life.

Becoming more positive is difficult, but can be achieved through small steps. To embrace positivity in your life, It is important that you change your self-talk first, which can be done through affirmations. Practicing gratitude and taking notice of the small things in your life also helps you make this change. It all starts with self love and self-care and with these changes you will no longer experience negativity in your life.

Make sure to prioritize yourself, and if your friendships aren’t allowing you to be the best version of you, then it is time to cut these ties. You can learn more from Marci on Facebook at @MarciHopkins1, or can read her book called “Chaos to Clarity”.