Friendship is not my strong suit. I have a handful of friends who I love dearly and our relationship has truly blossomed. Others, I feel we are friends out of an awkward obligation and that is not necessarily a good thing.
I think I am a good friend because I am a good listener and I am supportive. The more comfortable I feel, the more I can keep it real and truly demonstrate I care. Until we reach that point, most of our conversations consist of them talking and me asking questions. It is a blessing and a curse, as this allows me to deflect personal questions for long periods and time and we can go years without them even knowing my favorite color.
I have noticed that I tend to attract people with a lot of drama and we spend the majority of time talking about their issues. Sometimes, I do want to share but I end up not feeling heard because they brush off what I have said to continue speaking about themselves. My previous “friends” have made me feel as though I should be appreciative of having a friend at all. Which, to be honest, I have spent so much time alone, it really takes me a while to form an attachment. Once I see you are not a nice person, it does not hurt me to sever ties. It’s really a defense mechanism.
I have friends who are negative and I am beginning to see that now. I can be a negative person, but I mostly keep it to myself. I will always express my support and encouragement. Some people complain about everything and do not support you when you need it the most. For example, shortly after writing my second or third blog post, I told a “friend” that I started a blog. Instead of being supportive or asking a follow-up question, she scoffed and sarcastically said: “what do you have to write about?” I dropped the topic but we ended up bickering for most of the day and I realized we had nothing in common. We have known each other since high school.
The older I become, the more important I find it is to protect my energy. I am limited on positive energy as is, but people will tap into it and drain the life out of me. I do not need the judgment or harsh criticism, I do that enough on my own. I’ve been ghosted then accused of being the one that did not put an effort into the friendship. It’s not worth it.
Friendships should be mutually beneficial, whether it’s in the form of a good time, solid advice, or stimulating conversation. Tough love is fine but your friends should not make you feel like a terrible person. Having your dreams and goals supported can be crucial, encouragement does not have to be one-sided. One person is bound to give more than the other at times, but you should not feel obligated to continue a friendship in which you’re energy is continually zapped. YOU MATTER!
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Categories: Introvert Life
Muted Mouthful 
This is a great post. As an introvert I consider my energy like a battery. Groups of people are fun for a bit but zap my energy. I need to be alone to recharge it. I feel the same way about friends
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Yes, exactly!
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I think friendship is one of your strong suits. Skill is not a function of quantity. I think your learning to be a good friend to yourself, and are drawing boundaries and this is a good thing.
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Thank you, you are right. For a long time, I’ve waffled between being selective, because sometimes people suck, and thinking something is wrong with me. It takes so much out of me to even take the step to cultivate a friendship, I need to make sure it’s right. Thank you, I just made the connection 🤯🤗!
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Yassssss!!!! This!!!! You get it! We are virtual friends now, it’s official! So well written and relatable 😁
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I was already the connection, we’re right here 🧠🔛🧠. Glad it’s official 😅! Thank you!
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You are so spot on with this. Get rid of the leeches in your life, the ones that just take and never give back. They suck. (Sorry that was an awful pun).
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All puns are appreciated here 😁.
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So many good points! I’m glad you’re weeding out the “friends” that don’t deserve your energy. You’re so right, they’re just zapping your energy and worse, they’re ungrateful while doing it. That’s such a shame that you had a “friend” say that to you when you mentioned starting your blog. I don’t expect everyone to be interested in the blogging scene (my friends aren’t) but that was such a rude then to say. Everyone has something to say. A good friend would’ve asked about the post you’ve made so far and maybe brain stormed some new ones. u.u
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Exactly! There are so many things my friends do that are not necessarily my cup of tea, yet I’m always “get it!”, “do you!”. It is okay, as you said I’m weeding them out. Plus, I’m making new friends 🤗
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I saw something on twitter recently that said when you take a break from someone you either realise that you love and miss them or how much more peace you have now and that hit me really hard. The high school friend sounds horrible and we especially do not need people who continuously and negatively affect our mental health.
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Wow, that makes a lot of sense🤯! I give people the benefit of the doubt and the consistently demonstrate the same unfavorable behavior. For us and them, we have to cut them loose.
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I know what you mean, sometimes you want to believe that this is merely one small flaw, but it’s like a flu or a cold in that if you don’t try and treat it early, it’ll continue.
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I so appreciate this!!!! 💜 Navigating adult friendship seems tasking however this post caused me to feel like I’m not alone.
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