Friends (or lack of)

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When I was little I wasn’t really encouraged to mix with anyone and as I got older my mother would happily have kept me prisoner forever so although people seemed to like me, I never really made any proper friends. People stop asking you to do things / go places after a few times of you having to say no! Anyway, I’m now nearly 40 and I have a few people I know and speak to but no one to go for a drink with or ask how I am. Not complaining, just stating a fact. Sometimes it really bothers me, sometimes I couldn’t care less. Like if I want to go shopping then I go shopping and I don’t have to worry about someone else wanting to do something different because it’s just me but at the same time, sometimes it might be nice to have someone else to go with. Ah well, I’m sure others have it worse!
 
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Hi all,
I have been reading this thread and it’s so nice to hear others thoughts on this. I am feeling a bit bruised at the moment as my best friend of 25 years seems to be ghosting me.

I suppose my thoughts on this are that when it comes to friends quality is much better than quantity. I think this is well demonstrated by my ‘friend’ mentioned above. She has done some crazy things over the years (she used to be a real mess) and I have distanced myself from her several times but I kept getting sucked back in to being friends with her as I was afraid of not having a ‘best friend’

And as a few others have said I think the idea of having lots of friends is often much better than the reality.

I often feel envious when I see people with hundreds of birthday messages on FB or IG and with cute group photos with their big group of friends but when I spend time with someone I can feel like I need a week to recover.

Anyway my messages are always open if anyone needs a chat x

ps my profile pic is not me and I don’t drink coffee like that😂
Similar thing is happening with me atm - we met when we were 18 (late 20s now) and she’s gone through phases where she doesn’t bother and had a jealous patch when I met my current boyfriend. We had a really good catch up the week before my bday (spilled my heart out about something going on in my life right now) and then didn’t get a birthday message or text from her… she text 2 days later saying she was unwell and her days were thrown out (she’d text me the night before my birthday and had watched my Instagram stories of my birthday 🙃) I text her to see if she was still coming to my birthday drinks the following weekend (on the day) and she said no she was still unwell and we should meet up the following week for drinks - she’s never opened my message replying to say I was free 🙃 Saw her post pics of her out for drinks with another friend this week (they met through me a few years ago) !!!!
 
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These women are NOT your friends. Stop wasting your time, energy and emotions on them. Delete their contact details, remove them as friends from all social media channels, remove yourself from any group chats etc and forget about them. Get out there and build genuine proper friendships with genuine people who care about you and want you in their lives and stop giving these witches the satisfaction of knowing that they are leaving you out. ❤

You are completely right! Thank you for this! I'm going to remove myself from the group chat now.
 
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Similar thing is happening with me atm - we met when we were 18 (late 20s now) and she’s gone through phases where she doesn’t bother and had a jealous patch when I met my current boyfriend. We had a really good catch up the week before my bday (spilled my heart out about something going on in my life right now) and then didn’t get a birthday message or text from her… she text 2 days later saying she was unwell and her days were thrown out (she’d text me the night before my birthday and had watched my Instagram stories of my birthday 🙃) I text her to see if she was still coming to my birthday drinks the following weekend (on the day) and she said no she was still unwell and we should meet up the following week for drinks - she’s never opened my message replying to say I was free 🙃 Saw her post pics of her out for drinks with another friend this week (they met through me a few years ago) !!!!
I totally understand this, the ghosting friend I mentioned used to blow hot and cold and had done since our 20’s. I don’t want to project our relationship on to yours but if she was jealous when you met a boyfriend think how she will be if/ when you get married ( I had a very bad experience with my ‘friend’ before my wedding).

If she can’t be 100% happy for you and unless there is a very good reason for the lack of response from her I would consider distancing yourself, it may save some pain and drama in the future

x
 
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this is the worst part of social media for me..do people not realise the hurt they cause people when they post pictures of their nights out when you've not been invited?
I get we dont have to be invited to everything but are people that spiteful or ignorant in that they dont realise the implications of doing this.
pre SM we would have remained in blissful ignorance to these events if no one talked about them .
I agree your better off without them..i had a similar experience with some mum friends i made when my daughter started school. i was gradually excluded from things..possibly because my daughter wasnt friends with their children. i just distanced my self from them and once they went secondary school i didnt see them again.
Ive since heard their friendship has all imploded badly and none of them speak now so im better off out of it.
I hope you find some new friends who treat you decently xx
It’s funny isn’t it that we are grown ups…. But actually we never grow up and people just behave like big kids 🤷‍♀️
 
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I’m sorry to hear your dad is going through a cancer treatment, this must be such a hard time for your family. I went through something similar years ago when my father-in-law got cancer and my so-called best friends at the time totally dropped off the radar. During the 2 years he battled with cancer and eventually died, not one of them made efforts to check in on us.
I am not trying to excuse their behaviour, but cancer is something a lot of people don’t know how to deal with and respond to, so they find it easier to stop contact altogether. For me, I felt at the time that cancer was like a storm that blew through every part of my life, nothing was left untouched.
Keep positive and stay centred in who you are, you will get through this and will be stronger for it. You might see a lot of people in a different light as a result, but honestly life’s to short to dwell on those not worth their place as your friends.
I think a Father in Law is a bit different though to it being your father from a friends perspective. Did you friends actually know your FIL at all? I'd only ask in passing very briefly about a friends FIL or MIL if they were ill. It would be different if it was my friends parent/s and I knew them etc. Obviously though it was difficult for you and your family.
 
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I think a Father in Law is a bit different though to it being your father from a friends perspective. Did you friends actually know your FIL at all? I'd only ask in passing very briefly about a friends FIL or MIL if they were ill. It would be different if it was my friends parent/s and I knew them etc. Obviously though it was difficult for you and your family.
That’s a rather insensitive question to ask on a Friendship thread, don’t you reckon? I hope that at least you’d be interested enough to ask your friends if they were ever in my position.
 
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That’s a rather insensitive question to ask on a Friendship thread, don’t you reckon? I hope that at least you’d be interested enough to ask your friends if they were ever in my position.
I'm sorry you found it insensitive thats not how it was meant. Most people have an awful lot going on in their own lives and unless they are directly connected to a person/know them well wont be asking lots of questions about how they are doing etc. Your friends will probably have thought it was for your husbands family to deal with primarily and it wasn't an issue for them. They probably didnt even think. TBH.
 
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I'm sorry you found it insensitive thats not how it was meant. Most people have an awful lot going on in their own lives and unless they are directly connected to a person/know them well wont be asking lots of questions about how they are doing etc. Your friends will probably have thought it was for your husbands family to deal with primarily and it wasn't an issue for them. They probably didnt even think. TBH.
You might want to re-read the last page of the thread- I’ve not asked for advice or opinion, simply tried to reassure the original poster. Your assumptions about my personal circumstances are incorrect.
 
Has anyone tried Meetup before ? I’ve joined it and joined a few groups of local people with similar interests … I’m signed up to go to a coffee thing in the next town over on Friday morning but I’m a bit worried it’s dodgy … the event seems legit and I can see people’s names who are attending but I’ve not heard of anyone I know using the app so I’m a bit scared to go … anyone else used it before ?
 
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Has anyone tried Meetup before ? I’ve joined it and joined a few groups of local people with similar interests … I’m signed up to go to a coffee thing in the next town over on Friday morning but I’m a bit worried it’s dodgy … the event seems legit and I can see people’s names who are attending but I’ve not heard of anyone I know using the app so I’m a bit scared to go … anyone else used it before ?
I have. It's generally very safe! It's just more how you feel when you get there, what the atmosphere is like and what the people are like. As with all things it can be hit and miss. But I wouldn't worry about it being dodgy, go and have fun!
 
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So the relationship I have with friend I feel like I’m drifting apart from isn’t getting any better.

We had a massive argument and took time to cool off, at that point I said that I would be ready to listen when she wanted to talk.

It’s been a few weeks now and I reached out asking if she was ready or needed more time. Her response was that she assumed that we were all okay now and there was nothing to talk through. Even though she was the one who exploded first.

I can admit that I should’ve done better as a friend too, and have learnt from my mistakes and wanted to discuss my grievances with her and expected her to want to do the same. I’m willing to learn and grow from my actions.

Am I wrong to feel a bit put out that she’s disregarded the whole thing? I honestly feel like I’m going crazy.
 
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I have. It's generally very safe! It's just more how you feel when you get there, what the atmosphere is like and what the people are like. As with all things it can be hit and miss. But I wouldn't worry about it being dodgy, go and have fun!
Thank you , I think I will go ! :)
 
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A suggestion for those with partners who are more extroverted or outgoing - I've learned to use it to my benefit!

When we were on holiday, I noticed how quickly and easily my bf made small talk with a couple on the same tour as us. The four of us spent the whole day together and I ended up exchanging numbers with the wife.

Since then, whenever I come across someone I might want to be friends with, I encourage him to initiate conversation. It can really help in those moments when you feel awkward about making the first move :)
 
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So the relationship I have with friend I feel like I’m drifting apart from isn’t getting any better.

We had a massive argument and took time to cool off, at that point I said that I would be ready to listen when she wanted to talk.

It’s been a few weeks now and I reached out asking if she was ready or needed more time. Her response was that she assumed that we were all okay now and there was nothing to talk through. Even though she was the one who exploded first.

I can admit that I should’ve done better as a friend too, and have learnt from my mistakes and wanted to discuss my grievances with her and expected her to want to do the same. I’m willing to learn and grow from my actions.

Am I wrong to feel a bit put out that she’s disregarded the whole thing? I honestly feel like I’m going crazy.
Has she always been one to brush things under the carpet and then explode ? Sounds like she might not be very good at communicating
 
Yeah, it's always been like that :(
Sounds like that’s what she’s like then and so this behaviour for her isn’t out of the normal , if you feel like things haven’t been fully resolved then I doubt she will either … you either need to air everything with her in the hope she opens up too and you can fully clear the air or I think you need to step away from the friendship if you think you aren’t compatible as friends anymore
 
I tried thinking how far back it goes and I’ve had very few friends since early secondary school maybe even primary school!
Maybe it’s in my DNA that I am not sociable 😂😂
 
I tried thinking how far back it goes and I’ve had very few friends since early secondary school maybe even primary school!
Maybe it’s in my DNA that I am not sociable 😂😂
I’ve always been really shy. It’s probably only since I started full time work that I’ve opened up and been more myself but it’s so much harder to make friends as an adult 😔
 
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