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Friendship break up

Greenletters89 June 18th, 2021

Hi everyone. I am new in this community and I want to share something I am going through. I have had this friendship for the past 20 years. The last few months I was in crisis and relied heavily on my friend. Upon looking back I found there were 6-7 emails that were very emotional that were probably very hard for anyone to navigate. It was a huge relief for me just having someone to vent to. I thought we had a relationship that I can rely upon. Everything was going fine when she tried to call me twice which I rejected. I am very awkward at phone conversations so I was admittedly reluctant. Despite that, I did give a few time slots that would work for me. After that she texted me and said she is disappointed that I am not willing to answer her calls. She said I am not putting enough effort so she would not put effort into answering my messages as it is emotionally draining. She will also stop putting effort into the emotionally draining friendship. This was the final straw for me. I was hurt and angry. I pondered over it for a few days and finally sent an email ending the friendship. Now I am feeling a bit guilty and wondering if I was rash. From her perspective I took advantage of her by overly venting and when she voiced concerns I cut off the friendship. But there were many aspects of the relationship that wasn’t working. She has the tendency to take off and leave and drop in at whim. She is very secretive and unwilling to trust me with any information like she does with our other mutual friends. Spending time with her has not been fun in a long while. Even when she does shows up I feel she is not fully there. She seems to be having more fun when we are with other friends. When it is just the both of us she doesn’t seem happy. So there are many reasons why I feel this friendship was more like a zombie. I think I did make the right decision but maybe I was a bit harsh in the way I ended it. I just wanted to share it here. I would welcome any perspective. Thanks for reading.

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oceanwaves508 June 18th, 2021

Hi Green, Will list a few questions which may help. These are not necessarily for you to answer here, more internal to help you see whether you made the right call. - Was the friendship balanced? 20 years is a long time and friendships, just like relationships ebb and flow, but there should be some balance. If imbalanced where is it imbalanced? Who primarily reaches out to who? Who primarily supports who? - Note that not everyone has the same preferences for communication. You mentioned requiring support via email suggesting your preference for communicating is in written form. Your friend is trying to call you suggesting their preference for communicating is verbal. Did they support you via your preferred communication style (email)? Was it in a timely manner? Was it reflective of your situation? Do you return this level of support in their preferred communication style (verbal)? - You mention a “last straw”. How many times have you experienced issues? Were boundaries communicated and discussed? - Is there any reason trust has been questioned? E.g sharing confidential information prior when not appropriate? - Have you felt lighter, calm and more comfortable since your decision? - Is there any reason to maintain a friendship and potentially limit your time and communication with this person? e.g disruption of mutual friends/friend group. Bear in mind if you are two key people within a close knit group this decision may have wider implications.

3 replies
Greenletters89 OP June 19th, 2021

Thanks for this. I would take all these into consideration.

1 reply
oceanwaves508 June 21st, 2021

A bit intense I know, but hope it helps your gut feeling about the situation. Whatever you decide will be the right decision because you made it. Wishing you all the best.

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peacefulIris56 June 21st, 2021

@oceanwaves508 These are all good questions that you present.

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