30 Times People Had A Heartbreaking Realization That Their Friends Were Fake

To find out how this discussion started in the first place, we got in touch with @high.imhi on Threads, who was kind enough to have a conversation with Bored Panda.

"I started this conversation because I was looking through some old memories on my Snapchat of people I used to be friends with," she shared. "I had this realization about my old friends from a few years ago, which is why we are no longer friends."

We also asked the author why she believes some individuals pretend to be friends with people they don't actually care about.

"I’m not sure," she said. "That’s never been the type of person I am, so it doesn’t really make sense to me. It may be because they see something in that person that they wish they saw in themselves. Also probably because misery does indeed love company."

"I’ve realized that some people hate to see a person happy with themselves because they don’t know how to be, and they would rather tear someone else down and make them miserable as well, instead of working on themselves so that they can be happy with who they are," the OP continued.

Finally, we asked what she thought of the replies to her post. "[They shocked] me, I honestly didn’t expect so many people to relate to that post," the author shared. "The ones that really stood out to me were the ones that said their friends set them up to be se***lly assaulted. It’s so crazy to believe that some people would really go that far as to tear someone down."

We were also lucky enough to get in touch with Amanda Diaz, creator of Friendship With Intention, to hear her thoughts on what makes a great friend.

"Many qualities make a great friend but these three in particular stick out to me: A great friend is empathetic. They actively listen to you and make an effort to understand your perspective and feelings," Amanda shared. "They listen to you with grace and compassion and not judgement."

Next, she noted that a great friend is supportive. "They care about being there for you during the highs and lows of life and want to see you be successful and happy," she continued. "In my blog post, 60 Ways To Be A Supportive Friend, we dive deep into using a variety of methods to show up for your friends in impactful ways."

Finally, a great friend is trustworthy. "You should be able to trust them with your vulnerabilities and feel comfortable being yourself around them," Amanda says. "They should be your safe space."

And why is it so heartbreaking to find out a friend didn't actually care about you? "Because you valued, trusted, and cared about them and their well-being," Amanda shared. "You invested your time and energy into who they are as a person and the friendship because you genuinely liked them, and you thought they felt the same. It can leave you feeling lost, confused, and questioning your worth."

But thankfully, we can overcome the pain of being betrayed by a friend. "My best advice is to allow yourself to grieve the loss of the friendship you believed you had and find a healthy outlet to process your feelings," Amanda told Bored Panda. "In my blog post Friendship Betrayal: What It Looks Like And How To Cope With It, we explore 7 ways to navigate our lives and our big feelings when it comes to friendship betrayal."

Finally, Amanda added, "While it sucks to learn that someone you thought was a friend actually isn’t, it’s also a blessing in disguise. I am a person of faith, so I believe these hurtful experiences will be used for your good in other ways. That could be to help you identify friendship red flags sooner, give you wisdom when forming new friendships, or teach you to become a better friend to someone else. Appreciate the good that the friendship brought into your life, and don't dwell on the loss, learn from it."