Part 2 Easing Your Way Out
1.Decide whether or not the friendship is worth continuing with. If your friend is one of the "bad friend" types above and they sap your energy, patience and resources regularly, it's a fair bet that you're better off cutting this person out from your tight knit friends.
Decide whether this person is even worth keeping as an acquaintance. This will depend on the context––if you need to keep working with this person or seeing them at family get-together, then keeping a calm and distanced acquaintanceship may be the best option. On the other hand, if this person has no other formal links to your life, you may wish to cut the bond entirely.
2.Cease staying in contact. If you are always the first one to contact a friend and you're getting tired of little to no response, stop contacting them. Block them from your contacts, and leave all the text conversations that have them. Avoid seeing them in public. If this person is a true friend, they will reach out if they notice they haven't heard from you, and it only takes a few minutes to text, email, or call someone. If they don't, you're wiser about this friend's attitude and you can begin to spend more time with the friends who do care.
3.Tell your friend the friendship is over when this feels appropriate. If you can't quietly distance yourself and refuse all invitations to go places with this friend, you'll need to be up front about ceasing the friendship. The best way to break up with a friend who isn't working out is to confront them face-to-face or by phone and tell them crystal clear that you feel unable to continue the friendship for such and such a reason.
Avoid using blame language. Although you don't want to say "it isn't you, it's me" type language, you do want to make it clear that this is about your feelings and your peace of mind. Avoid insulting the character of the other person or blaming them for your feelings.
Remind the other person of the other friends in their life, and even recommend a new friend if this seems appropriate.
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