I Am Done Caring About People Who Could Not Care Less About Me

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I am not going to feel bad for cutting people out of my life who have not earned a place there. I am not going to feel bad for raising my standards after a lifetime of letting people walk over me. I am not going to feel bad for doing the selfish thing for a change and putting myself first.

I am not going to let anyone convince me that I am a bad person for saying goodbye to someone new before giving them a real chance or for leaving behind someone who has been around for years. I am smart enough to know that the amount of time we’ve known each other has nothing to do with whether or not they should remain in my life. They should only remain in my life if they bring something positive to it, and vice versa. They should only remain in my life if they belong there.

In the past, I was the person who would give out second chances to everyone, regardless of whether or not they actually deserved another shot. I was the person who saw the good in everyone that I came across. The person who would rather make other people happy than be happy myself.

I was the person who would answer any phone call at two in the morning. The person who would drive miles to hang out at the last second. The person who would pay for dinners and taxi rides without thinking twice about it.

I am still going to do those things for the people who deserve my attention. But from now on, I am not going to go out of my way to help someone who has let me down time and time again. I am not going to inconvenience myself for someone who would never do the same for me. I am not going to put all of my effort into a relationship (or a friendship) while the other person sits on the sidelines without contributing anything of their own.

I am done feeling like I am obligated to make people happy when they only treat me like a background character. I am done assuming that it is my job to take care of everyone.

Starting today, if you are bad for my mental health, I will ignore your texts. I will turn down your plans. I will cut you out of my life. And I will not feel an ounce of guilt about it.

I am done caring about people who could not care less about me. It is unfair to me. It drains me. It makes me feel like I am unappreciated and unwanted.

I cannot keep associating with people who take advantage of my kindness, who apologize for their mistakes and keep making the same ones. I deserve more respect than that. I deserve to surround myself with people who actually see how much I can offer them, with people who actually appreciate how big my heart has grown.