Time: < 1 Hour

STEP 1: Determine which relationships in your life are negative or toxic and should either be eliminated or your time with them should be greatly decreased.

STEP 2: Develop a plan on how to break up the relationship or spend less time with this person or people. This can be a difficult step and you may need the support of a friend, accountability partner, coach, or therapist to determine the best course of action.

STEP 3: Once you have your plan, determine what will be said and when this discussion is going to happen. There is never a “good” time to have a conversation like this, so do it quickly (and possibly with someone else present) so you won’t mull over it and lose sleep unnecessarily.

STEP 4: If they are a challenging personality (or deeply hurt), they will likely reach out in anger or in tears and try to reel you back in. Don’t take the bait! Your intuition (and possibly friends and family) told you that this relationship needed to end, so go with your gut instinct. You may need to set some very strong boundaries with this person. If necessary, get help from others to maintain your distance from them.