How to Build Healthy Friendships After a Toxic Upbringing
🌿 “Healing after heartbreak is tender. But opening yourself to new friendships can remind you that love and trust are still possible.” Friendships can shape the way we see ourselves. When you’ve grown up around criticism, neglect, or emotional chaos, you may carry those patterns into your relationships with others. You might find yourself drawn to people who feel familiar, even if they are not safe. Or you may keep walls so high that no one can get close. Neither path brings the connection your heart longs for—but the good news is that you can learn a new way. Healthy friendships are built on mutual respect, trust, and kindness. These are not things you should have to earn by over-giving or shrinking yourself. Real friends see your value and treat you with care, simply because you are you. Take the story of Lina, a young woman who grew up hearing constant criticism at home. At first, she surrounded herself with friends who treated her the same way, because it felt familiar. Bu...