You trust your friends, depend on them during bad times, share your secrets, and one day you realize that they have been spreading gossip and rumors about you when you were not listening. The worst thing about backstabbers is that they were once your near and dear ones before you realized what they were doing behind your backs. The emotional trauma and loss that one feels is much more than the physical loss, which occurs because of backstabbing. Your friend might call you names or do things that friends aren’t supposed to do, just when you thought they cared about you.
Losing a friend is never easy, but getting rid of backstabbers also becomes necessary. The first thing you must do if you realize a friend for a backstabber is to identify the root of the problem. Is he or she jealous of you because you are more popular or well off? Or is it that they feel they are not getting their share of attention in your presence? Another very big reason might be that your friend is selfish, and didn’t think twice about harming your reputation for his or her own personal benefit.
What you should do is demand an explanation for his actions. Don’t ask, demand. It not only helps closing the issue, but also if you never become friends again then at least you will behave civil with each other. Having said that, remember that you do have the right to overreact. If your friend says that what he did was a prank and you are overreacting, don’t forget that what he did broke your trust and you have every reason to be mad. Don’t get physically violent, and try to settle the situation diplomatically. Remember that in confrontations like these onlookers might be present and you don’t want yourself to look bad.
Ignore a backstabbing friend if he tries to contact you, because commenting only means that you are validating his lies. There are more important things in life, an important one being restoring your lost reputation. What rumors he or she spread must have done their harm already, so be prepared to work hard to restore your former dignity and reputation. Contact people directly and tell them that whatever they heard were rumors and lies, and you were not involved in any of them. Offer proof if you have it and clear your image.
Remember, you are not trying to put the backstabber to shame but trying to mend your own image. Come across as a genuine person, and forget about the so-called friend. Lastly, backstabbers can cause a lot of grief, and you might not like living with it. Try to forgive and forget, and at least be civil if you can’t attempt to build a relationship again.
