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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

To withdraw from toxic friendship group ?

186 replies

Judygiraffe · 30/09/2021 10:08

So I'm 29, and am friends with a group of girls I met at secondary school , age. 29. Last year one of my friends , "left the group" as she felt it was toxic. She said she felt that both of us were just there to make the others feel better about their own lives , and I'm beginning to agree.

The queen bee married her childhood sweetheart at 22. At the time , because k wasn't in a long term relationship , I had a few more sexual partners than her. She'd regularly make comments to imply I was a slag, e.g. "I'm sorry, but your not discarded vagina is just not as sacred as ours."

However the marriage broke down when she was 26, ( she works at a university , she cheated on him with one of her 19 year old undergraduate students). Immediately after the marriage broke down, she signed up to dating sites and was having multiple sexual encounters, ( including threesomes), with men she met off the internet. She never apologised for repeatedly calling/ implying I was a slut previously, and instead went on to judging and making harsh comments about people she felt hadn't had enough sexual partners , ( she's now changed from judging people she feels have too much sex, to judging people who have to little sex).

Despite this , I was supportive of her during the time of her marriage breakdown. She'd ring multiple times a day, and I was supportive. Yet we went out for a meal with another girl in the group a few weeks later, and she rveeted back to openly mocking me for sleeping with more people than she had in front of the other girl, ( at this point, she had actually slept with many more people than I had, but didn't want the other girl to know this). I didn't say anything to reveal she had been having threesomes / sleeping with more men, as I didn't want to embarrass her.

She regularly gives the , ( unasked for) opinion that Lucy* , ( another girl in the group), "doesn't know how to be single" and berates her for getting together with her new boyfriend too quickly after s relationship break up. Despite this , she was signed up to online dating sites within days of her own marriage breaking down....

She regularly mocks me and Lucy for making "bad choices in relationships" but skirts over the fact her first husband had a lot of issues, ( he'd regularly shout racist abuse out the car windows at other drivers, would regularly shout "j , get the f out if my chair, I want to sit next to my f* wife" at group meals), and that she then dated on her undergraduate students.

She regularly makes comments about Lucy's tattoos being badly drawn and tacky, despite the fact she herself has tattoos.

The queen bee told her new boyfriend I had previously been raped, and he casually brought this up in conversation the first time we went out for lunch together, which left me feeling awkward. He regularly gives pseudo diagnosis's to members of the group , ( one evening he repeatedly told me I must be autistic cos I didn't look people directly in the eye, and refused to listen despite the fact I wa getting tearful and trying to explain I have a diagnosed visual impairment that makes that difficult). He also tells anyone that will listen that Lucy* had classic abandonment issues due to the fact her parents immigrated abroad when Lucy was 19.

We also have a mutual aquantance who has a mild learning disability, ( still functioning enough to work, drive , live independently etc). She has recently announced an engagement to a lovely man, ( I have met him), and instead of saying congratulations, all they can do is laugh and mock cos she had a broken engagement to someone else four years previously.
Am I right to just slowly stop bothering with the group ?

OP posts:
PunishmentSnart · 30/09/2021 20:48

The more you write, the more I’m wondering why you became ‘friends’ with them at all, never mind stayed in the group for so long.

I honestly can’t get my head around how people can behave so awfully and people let them get away with it????

Why did you not leave when Sally did? Why did you stick around to carry on being treated like this.

You sound really sweet, so speak to the nice friends and form another group. No drama. Speak to them away from queen bee and say you’ve had enough and are stepping away, do they want to join you.

If there is any back lash from queen bee, then tell her, in no uncertain terms , that you are not a child any more, she is a MASSIVE bitch and her boyfriend’s armchair diagnosis’ are boring so they can both fuck off Grin

Shellfishblastard · 30/09/2021 21:30

@Judygiraffe

Yes, I think I no I have to just disengage. Because we have been friends since 11 I'm worried it will feel weird / strange without them , as despite this thread highlighting all the negatives, we have had some good times together, but I need to let go .
It will be weird, of course it will. But they aren’t being kind to you. In fact they are being actively hurtful. Friends shouldn’t make you feel bad all the time
Spyro1234 · 30/09/2021 21:34

I'd walk away from that nonsense, life is too short :(

Goingdriving · 30/09/2021 22:07

Exit now.
I left a toxic friendship group. The only thing I regret is not doing it sooner.

Mycatismadeofstringcheese · 30/09/2021 22:34

I honestly wouldn’t bother trying to have it out with them. There is no magic combination of words that will make them reflect and change their ways.

They will only know which of their horrible comments succeeded in hurting you the most.

It’s not that they don’t understand that they’ve hurt you. It’s that they don’t care. In fact they enjoy it. They prefer that little frisson of power over you than being a real friend.

Your still in touch with Sally. Good. Set some time up with her. I’m sure she will be delighted.

Be busy, be dull to the others. Just be unavailable. Like PP have said google the grey rock method.

If you can afford it, look into some counselling or at least read some books about improving your confidence and having healthy friendships.

Yes it will feel strange without them as you’ve known them so long. So you need to find positive things to replace them. You can pull out all the weeds and stinging nettles but they just grow back. You need to plant roses in that space and tend to them regularly so they thrive.

Mycatismadeofstringcheese · 30/09/2021 22:42

I also think you realise you are nearly at the point you are done with them. Absolutely done.

You’ll hit it and realise that there is nothing that they can say or do that can affect you.

They can rage and call you names and tell lies about you, but it just slides off you. You don’t give a toss about their anger.

They can cry and try to guilt you about how awful you’re being giving up on your friendship. You just shrugged and think, you’ve had a million chances you reap what you sew. You don’t give a toss if they feel bad. They don’t care when they hurt others. Not your problem if they feel bad.

They can be as nice as pie, but you’ll see it for the manipulation it is.

They will flick between rage, guilt and charm trying to get you back under their thumb. They may get other people to guilt you. But you’ll be done with them. You’ll have moved on to better things.

SleepingBunnies21 · 01/10/2021 08:38

It’s not that they don’t understand that they’ve hurt you. It’s that they don’t care. In fact they enjoy it. They prefer that little frisson of power over you than being a real friend.

This.

layladomino · 01/10/2021 11:41

I'm amazed you have to ask.

Your question is basically 'I'm 'friends' with some really vile, judgemental, bullying, lying, mocking people - is it OK to stop being friends?'

What do you get from being part of this group? Why on earth did you stick around this long? When the bf mentioned your rape, when the 'friend' made fun of who you'd slept with / called you a slut - why did you give them the time of day after that? I'm extremely non-confrontational but I would have dropped them that same day.

The detail of all the exchanges also seems to be a bit stuck in secondary school. I think it would do you good for more than one reason to move on.

Queen Bee only has power to insult / criticise while people listen to her. By staying around you are giving her power. As you drop away, she will lose a bit of power. It sounds like others may follow your lead and do the same.

Keep on touch with the decent friends, but not Queen Bee. She has got away for a long time with treating people appallingly. Don't feel bad about walking away. She hasn't given a toss about your feelings all these years.

layladomino · 01/10/2021 11:43

Sorry Op I think I ranted a bit there. It's just I feel angry on your behalf. These people are not friends and you deserve better.

nicecheesegromit · 01/10/2021 13:00

It does sound a plot from a book - some very odd goings on indeed!

Judygiraffe · 02/10/2021 19:22

So an update, I told QB and Aleesha that I didn't like how they spoke to me , they both blocked me on WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram.

OP posts:
JamieNorthlife · 02/10/2021 19:32

@Judygiraffe

So an update, I told QB and Aleesha that I didn't like how they spoke to me , they both blocked me on WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram.
How are you feeling?
IdblowJonSnow · 02/10/2021 19:41

Immediately ditch! What a fucking cow! It's not her place to tell anyone personal things about you! She'd have been dead to me after that.

Judygiraffe · 02/10/2021 19:53

@JamieNorthlife, feeling a little better tbh xx

OP posts:
ButYouGottaHaveASkillJeff · 02/10/2021 20:05

I left my main friendship group (4 of us, all single so quite entwined with each other) this year. I had had enough, always felt like the outsider, the others would always be prioritised over me. If any of the rest pulled each other up about something, a bit of a squabble would occur but then all fine. If I mentioned anything that bothered me I'd be blocked, not spoken to for ages and shit like that. Fuck that.

I've got other friends and acquaintances but they're mostly all coupled up with kids (I'm 39) so admittedly it's not been easy. My social life has dwindled over night and it's been rough to see them carrying on over the rare social media posts I'm privy to via other people.

HOWEVER, my anxiety has been so much better, I feel a weird inner calm. I'm reassessing so many things in my life and seeing it as a definite positive to make changes going into the new year. A few 'self help' books I've been reading mention seeing life in chapters, some are good, some are bad, but each you should see as a new start when the last one ends. It's definitely helped me see it like that. Instead of mourning what I've lost and that I'm still aggrieved how I've been treated with no apology or recognition (which I should be letting go of), I'm getting myself excited about what's to come.

Hopefully for you it will be the same away from this awful bunch.

Honeyroar · 02/10/2021 20:08

Job done then!
But they’ll probably be back in a while “to give you a chance to apologise”. Be ready. In the meantime go out with your other friends that have left the bitchy group and celebrate your liberation!

Skippingabeat · 02/10/2021 20:43

[quote Judygiraffe]@JamieNorthlife, feeling a little better tbh xx[/quote]
It's always nice when the trash takes itself out. Enjoy the peace and make sure to keep in touch with the other non-toxic friends in the group.

Marjoriedrawers · 02/10/2021 20:53

Well at least you know you were right about them. Good for you. Wear it as a badge of honour that you saw through them, but expect to be slagged off and have your name muddied by them now.

SweetBabyCheeses99 · 02/10/2021 21:08

Good god, why would you even slowly extricate yourself from these women?! The my sound awful. Just go NC now.

walkinonsunshine · 02/10/2021 21:50

Your title says toxic...why would you even ask if you know it's toxic?

Yes you have our permission, of course you should never contact any of them ever again and go and live a lovely life!

QueenBee52 · 02/10/2021 21:58

For the love of god BLOCK

Djifunrsn · 02/10/2021 21:59

Fuck these twats off already

SpidersAreShitheads · 03/10/2021 03:13

I see from your update that you've ended things with this nasty little gang, which is a good move.

FWIW, I was going to suggest just leaving the group silently. People like this feed off drama, and love all the attention and high antics that going out with a bang gives them.

If they come back to you with a chance to apologise, just ghost them. Don't reply. That's far more infuriating to them than you giving it to them both barrels.

I've found myself tangled in unhealthy friendships at times over the years and it's such a relief to step away. You won't regret it.

chinashopbull · 03/10/2021 03:52

A little while later you might be a bit harsh on yourself questioning why you let yourself put up with this toxic friendship, why you were so tolerant but don't forget, this is how most people learn to put firm boundaries and never allow this to happen again. Some people are born naturally with this instinct, I wasn't and had to deal with it in a similar way by experiencing it. Know this, they will talk about people they have on the pedestal badly to bring them down and please take the pleasure in knowing how worthy you are Smile

CrisisManagement · 03/10/2021 13:26

Oh my goodness. You will be so much better off without them. This whole thing reminds me of the scene in Muriel's Wedding where Rhonda defends Muriel and tells the toxic group to get lost: