Friends are everything when you’re little. Your whole world in and out of school. From chilling on their cozy couches to watching a soccer game with them and hanging out after school, exchanging books, homework and partying together. No matter how good all that is, sooner or later, life inevitably happens and distances you from these bonds that were once the most sacred things for you. Whether it’s marriage, education, family or children, circumstances and time shape how friendships change in adulthood later in life. Why does this happen? Let’s explore how friendship changes over time. Here are 7 ways you might be losing interest in friends.
Sadly, you’re not in school anymore
School and college might be the easiest places for you to make new friends and socialize. Yes, you’ll have a lot of memories associated with them but one day or another you’re going to graduate and move forward with your life for jobs or higher education. It’s very likely that you’ll lose some of your closest friends in the process, people who you once couldn’t survive without. And it’s not just about you, they’ll have to do the same in order to get ahead in life and move to new places.
Your friends may commit themselves in a romantic relationship
There’s hardly anyone around who hasn’t experienced that one friend drifting away after finding their significant other. One moment you’re dancing your hearts out at parties, the next they start dating and then suddenly you see them walking away. This is one of the main ways how friendships change in adulthood and there’s hardly anything you can do about it because it’s pretty hard to divert attention from your romantic partner.
Or you may be the one finding love
Just like your friends, you may find yourself in a relationship. Meeting someone you’re into and focusing on being with them can really take a toll on your friendships. Things don’t remain the same when you have commitments and responsibilities to uphold. You lose a lot of friends when you get serious about life and prioritize your relationship.
Jobs, work and career
Making a career requires a lot of compromises and one of them is having to move away to another place for better opportunities, leaving your friends behind. Work life is a part of adulthood and it’s important to gain financial independence.
New interests and learning better
Over time, we learn new things and develop new interests. This could mean anything, from career and family to political views and hobbies. It’s one of the good reasons why losing friends is a good thing too. Sometimes, you learn better and move towards an environment that enhances that change, away from some toxic friendships.
Unrequited friendships
A lot of times, you may find yourselves in a situation where you’re the only one making an effort to carry the friendship forward. It all feels one-sided with unanswered texts, unreturned calls so letting such friends go just feels like the right thing to do.
