Hi dude,
Adapting to the context and upholding the core conditions, it still takes two to communicate, and you can't be responsible for somebody else's mind, but you can be responsible for not making them anxious.

So in this situation I'd want to consider stuff like the type of relationship I have already with each person under consideration, how intelligent these people are, what potential for improvement do they have, what benefits/dangers to me personally they are associated with, how often we contact each other, and who usually initiates the contact.

For those who never contact you unless you contact them first, this is a problem that solves itself.
For the rest, you can tell the truth to the intelligent ones (but why would you want to rid yourself of intelligent company, right?) so this is not really an issue.

We are left with persons who present us with mainly bad input, don't seem open to change or improving themselves, and who initiate contact with us. So we tell them the truth but we 'tell them' in various different ways, none of which will cause undue anxiety unless they get anxious about everything.

Some ways of relationship transitions I've found useful:
If you have regular meetings, start by becoming slightly less available; you do this by arranging to have something beneficial to do instead of the usual thing. This is important -you can't just take someone out of your life unless you replace them with something better. It's up to you to find activities and worthwhile people to visit that take up your time so that you truly do not have so much time to spend with the 'old' crowd. This sort of truth tells itself.

Control your own environment -acquaintances who like to sit indoors watching crap TV can now either come with you to the library or for an evening of nature documentaries or a walk in the park (where they are surrounded by good input) or they can decide you're getting 'boring' and start spending less time with you.

Break up routines into a series of events so that you're not sure when the next meeting will be and it has to be arranged by phone or email. Tell people you don't want any visits unless they call first, and then don't answer the door unless you're expecting someone.

If you change in a good direction, those around you will either change with you or get bored and drift away. There is no need to push; it just happens. If you are doing enough good stuff, you really don't have any time for dodgy stuff!
Best,
AR

I agree with what you guys have to say but I think it can be challenging to end alliances with others. Personally, I have been struggling with this recently. I've been constantly wondering how much of my time I should invest in others.  I've also recognized that how others react is out of my control but how I respond to their reactions is in my power.  I try not to take things to heart, which is difficult as I have the tendency to think and act based on emotions.  Regardless, I've been working on establishing boundaries and communicating better with others.  For instance, I've been doing my best to communicate my needs with others (when I need to be alone, need someone to talk to, etc.).  It's tough to break old thought patterns but I'm working through it. Any suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks for listening