Sometimes, you’re going to convince yourself you’re doing the right thing by holding onto the wrong person.
You’re going to keep coming up with excuses to keep this person in your life. You’re going to remind yourself they were there for you when you were going through a rough time. You’re going to cite sweet moments of your history while forgetting about the toxic ones. You’re going to feel like you owe it to this person to stick around because there aren’t many people in your universe who make you happy — and when this person isn’t making you miserable, you have a pretty good time together.
Sometimes, it hurts to admit a person you used to consider close has morphed into someone you can no longer recognize. Or maybe you’re the one who has changed. Maybe this person used to fit perfectly in your life but you have since matured into someone strong and secure while they have stayed exactly the same immature soul. Maybe you are completely different people than you once were — not better or worse, simply different.
Sometimes, you’re going to come up with alternate solutions to prolong the inevitable. You’re going to do anything you can to make your friendship/relationship work before giving up on this person. You’re going to have long conversations. You’re going to make sacrifices. You’re going to give them chance after chance after chance. You’re going to hold onto them as tightly as you can because you’re not ready to let them go.
Sometimes, your heart will cling to the wrong person. Sometimes, you will resist walking away from them because it will be heartbreaking for the both of you. Sometimes, you will focus on what your blinded heart is saying and completely ignore the warnings you’re being given from your gut, your head, your common sense.
Sometimes, you won’t realize how much a person has been bringing you down because you’re used to their drama. It’s become a tradition to you. You’ve grown to think of it as normal when they hang up the phone on you or ditch you for better plans at the last second. Maybe you never bat an eye when they hurt you because you expect it. But that shouldn’t be the way your friendships or relationships work. You shouldn’t let it roll off your back when someone curses you out or insults your weight because that’s just the way they are. You deserve more respect than that.
Sometimes, you’re going to have a hard time letting go. You’re going to procrastinate pressing that block or unfriend button because it breaks your heart to say goodbye. Unfortunately, sometimes, the hardest things you have to do in life are the things you need the most.
Sometimes, you need to walk away from people you love in the name of self-care, in the name of mental health, in the name of personal growth. Sometimes, you have to stop and ask yourself whether this person who supposedly cares about you is pushing you forward or anchoring you in place. Sometimes, even though it’s the last thing you want to do, you have to release someone you love into the wild.