You may have a friend that doesn’t care about you. This is not an uncommon thing, and many people find themselves in this position at some point in their lives.
It can be difficult to figure out what the problem is if your friend seems distant, but there are signs of a lack of caring from friends that you might notice over time.
In this article, I will discuss 20 signs your friend doesn’t care about you so that you can better understand how to handle them when they happen.
20 signs your friend doesn’t care or respect you
There are many reasons why a friend could suddenly stop caring, and it may even appear that they don’t respect you.
While it is important to know the difference between your friend not caring and them actually being disrespectful, sometimes you will run into friends who are both.
If you notice any of these signs in a friend, they may be losing respect for you or no longer care about what happens to you.
1. They don’t return your calls or texts
One sign that is pretty glaring is when a friend doesn’t return your phone calls or text messages.
If you try to reach out and they don’t respond, this is usually because something is getting in the way of their time for friends, such as another interest holding more importance than yours does.
When someone cares about their friendship with you, they will make an effort to keep it up.
Not returning your calls or messages can be a sign of how they really feel about you, and if this keeps happening after trying to reach out again, then that is usually a huge signal that something different is going on with them.
2. They only talk to you when they want something
Another sign that your friend doesn’t care about you is when they only talk to you when they want something.
This can range from asking for money, help with schoolwork or a project at work, etc.
They might not be trying to make it sound like what they are saying isn’t important; instead of talking about why they want something from you, they might just try to go for it and ask.
If this is a common pattern with your friend(s), there may be other issues going on in their lives that are causing them not to care about friends as much as they used to.
Maybe something new has come up or changed within the friendship that has caused them to distance themselves from you in this way.
Whatever the case may be, it is important that you address their behavior and find out what’s going on before things get worse between the two of you.
If they don’t care about your friendship anymore, then there isn’t much point in trying to hold onto it.
3. When you do see them, it feels forced and unnatural
Another sign that your friend doesn’t care about you is when they make plans with you and it feels forced and unnatural.
You might feel all excited at first to hang out, but as time goes on, the excitement fades and your mood changes in a hurry.
When this starts happening more often than not, there’s usually another reason behind it.
It might be that they don’t want to spend time with you anymore, or that something else is going on in their lives and your friendship just isn’t a priority for them right now.
If you feel like this has been the case as of late when seeing one another, then there’s usually an underlying issue that needs to be tackled before things get worse.
The longer you wait, the more damage that can be done, and it becomes harder to rebuild after time has passed.
Friends are important in our lives; they help us when we’re down or going through something hard by being there for us with a listening ear when needed most.
4. You feel like you’re always giving while they never do
Another sign that your friend doesn’t care about you is when one of two situations happens:
– You feel like the only one who cares and gives to the friendship, but everything comes back around with them taking from it.
Or
– They don’t take anything from the friendship and don’t care about it one bit.
Both of these situations are not good for the friendship because there is a clear imbalance that needs to be addressed before things get worse or fall apart completely.
If you feel like this has been happening as of late, then your best option is to sit down with them face-to-face and talk about it.
If they don’t care, then there isn’t much point in trying to salvage the friendship at this stage because if someone doesn’t value your time or efforts, then what can you really do?
Friends who truly care about one another will always try their best to give back as often as possible so that the friendship can continue to grow and last for a very long time.
Friends who don’t care about you will usually end up causing damage in some way or another, especially if they are taking from the friendship with no intention of giving back.
5. They don’t keep their promises
Another sign that your friend doesn’t care about you is when they stop keeping their promises, whether it be over something small or big.
If this has been happening as of late with them recently, then there might be some underlying issue causing this behavior to come out more often than not.
It could be that they are overwhelmed with the responsibilities of work and home life, causing them to become stressed out.
Or it could be something more serious, like a mental illness or addiction problem is at play — either way you need to take note before things get worse for both sides.
If this has been happening as of late and you feel like your friend doesn’t care about you, then it might be time to slowly distance yourself from them so that they can address whatever is going on in their life.
If this hasn’t been happening as of late and your friend suddenly stops keeping their promises with no explanation given whatsoever, then there may be an underlying issue at play — or just a selfish person who doesn’t care about anyone but themselves.
Either way, this is a sign that your friend doesn’t care about you and needs to be addressed before things get worse or fall apart completely.
6. They constantly take advantage of you
If your friend is constantly taking advantage of you whenever they can, then there’s a good chance that they don’t care about you.
This usually happens when someone is in need and their friends are able to help them out with whatever it may be.
However, if this has been happening as of late with them, then it’s likely that they are taking advantage of the friendship.
If this is the case, then there may be an underlying issue at play — or maybe you need to take a step back and reevaluate your friendship before making any rash decisions about whether or not to end things because if someone takes advantage of you all the time, then what can you really do?
Friends who care about one another will only help their friends when they truly need it and not just because they want to take advantage of the friendship.
7. They don’t respect your time or efforts
One of the biggest signs that someone doesn’t care about you is when they never value your time and only call on you whenever it’s convenient for them.
This happens a lot in friendships where one person has more going on than the other, being extremely busy while their friend isn’t as much.
If this has been happening as of late with your friend, then it’s time to make a decision about whether or not you want to continue being their friend.
8. They don’t make an effort when it comes to spending time with you
When someone truly cares about their friends, they will always try to find the time in their busy life to hang out — whether that be meeting up for a quick cup of coffee or even going on a trip together.
Friends who care also realize how important quality time is in a friendship and realize that spending time together is the only way to strengthen their bond.
However, if your friend isn’t making any effort in trying to meet up with you or even go on trips as often as possible, then there’s a good chance they don’t care about you — especially when life gets busy for them, too.
9. They constantly complain
If your friend is always complaining about their life, then there’s a good chance they don’t care about you.
Everyone has times where things aren’t going well for them or that something unexpected comes up — but if this continues to happen all the time with someone else in their life, it could be because they’re just looking for someone to vent their frustrations on.
If this is the case, then it’s time to distance yourself from them so that they can work through whatever issues they are having in life without dragging you down with them all the time.
10. They never take responsibility for their actions
Whenever someone doesn’t care about others, they will always try to avoid taking responsibility for their errors in judgment or mistakes that they have made.
If this has been happening as of late with your friend, then it’s time to distance yourself from them because you don’t want to be manipulated by someone who doesn’t care about you enough to take responsibility for their actions.
11. They don’t check up on you or ask how your day is going
Friends who truly care and value each other in a friendship will always try to stay in touch — even if it’s just sending out an email every now and again asking how the other person is doing.
However, if your friend doesn’t do this as often as possible and even struggles to remember what you’ve been up to lately without prodding them on the topic, then there’s a good chance they don’t care about you or at least not enough for it to be an important part of their life.
12. You’re constantly being put down
Friends who care about each other will only compliment the things that are important to their friends.
However, if you find yourself always getting criticized by your friend for everything from how you look to what clothes you wear and even where you go out to eat with them, then there’s a good chance they don’t care about you.
13. They don’t have time for your problems
Everyone has issues in life that need to be dealt with, and it’s only natural if they try to help their friends through these rough patches whenever possible — especially when they are needed the most.
However, if your friend is constantly blowing off any attempts on your part to talk about anything, that’s bothering you — and instead keeps trying to change the topic as much as possible — then there is a good chance they don’t care enough for it to be an important part of their life.
14. They never initiate contact with you
Whenever someone truly cares about their friends, they will always try to stay in touch and let them know that they are thinking about them — even if it is just a quick email letting the other person know how their day has been going.
However, when your friend doesn’t do this as often as possible — or even only after you have initiated contact with them first — there’s a good chance they don’t care enough for it to be an important part of their life.
15. They always do something that hurts you or breaks your trust
Friends who care about each other will only try to hurt them in the most loving way possible — even if they know that they are going to feel emotionally bruised afterwards.
However, when someone constantly does things that they know are going to hurt the other person — and even after being confronted about it keeps on doing a similar thing time and again, there’s a good chance they don’t care enough for you as a friend.
16. They never give compliments or praise when due
Everyone likes to receive recognition for their efforts in life, but if your friend is constantly critical of you and never tries to recognize your best efforts or even positive traits, then there’s a good chance they don’t care enough for it to be an important part of their life.
17. They are very aggressive when challenged with simple questions
Friends who truly care about each other will always try to answer any questions that are asked of them in a calm, rational manner — even if the answers might be hard for their friend to hear.
However, when someone is constantly aggressive with you whenever you ask questions about things they say or do and often resorts to personal attacks instead of taking responsibility for their actions, there’s a good chance they don’t care enough for you as a friend.
18. You can’t maintain your own identity in the friendship
Everyone likes to have their personality recognized and admired by other people, but if it seems like your personality is being completely erased whenever you spend time with them — or even when they are just thinking about you — then there’s a good chance that they don’t care enough for it to be an important part of their life.
19. They are always passive-aggressive whenever you confront them about a problem
When someone truly cares about their friend, they will try to come up with ways that help solve problems in the relationship — instead of just ignoring them or even making things worse by hinting at what they think might be the issue.
However, if your friend is constantly passive-aggressive with you — and even turns on a dime whenever you try to talk things through in order to avoid anything that will make them look bad instead of fixing it or explaining themselves, then there’s a good chance they don’t care enough for it to be an important part of their life.
20. You feel like you can’t trust them or that they are manipulative in some way
Everyone likes to have someone who will always try to listen to their problems, but when your friend is constantly trying to find ways around anything that might make them look bad instead of just owning up to it — and even suggesting other people do the same when they know that it’s not true, then there’s a good chance they don’t care enough for you as a friend.
Why Does a Friend Suddenly Stop Caring?
There are many reasons why a friend might suddenly stop caring about you,
and it can be difficult to tell the difference between them.
However, there are certain things that are usually signs of one or more issues standing in their way when they come up with friends.
These include:
– One-sided friendships where only one person cares while the other doesn’t
– A change in relationship status
– Changing interests, hobbies, or activities that cause lack of time for friends together.
You can usually tell if this is the case when you notice several different signs over a period of time.
