How do I deal with outgrowing friendships?

advice

I’m in my 30s and recently, I’ve distanced myself from 3 of the only friends I had. 2 of them are family members and one of them is a childhood friend. I was never really good at making friends and once I left college (out of state), I’ve lost contact with other friends I had. I’m not sure if it’s cause of adhd that I haven’t been able to “maintain” friendships but those 3 ppl have been around the longest and have been toxic and it’s draining my energy.

One is in a long term abusive relationship which has become a bit dangerous so I had to block her partner, one was cheating on her husband constantly and she got mad when I told her she was wrong, and the other just doesn’t align with where I’m headed because she just wants to go out and drink and her priorities are not together. I’m not sure if I’m being unreasonable but I got tired of being put in the middle of some of these toxic situations and having to hear about it. I know it doesn’t directly affect me and it’s their life but I feel I have outgrown them.

I feel like a weight has been lifted but I also struggle with accepting the fact that being around them drains me as much as I still care and want to. I’m doing it for my own mental health and sanity. How do I deal with the grief that comes with this?

Posted May 12, 2026, 2:36 PM UTC

420
Loading comments…