Reciprocated Friendships

Recently, I have been feeling down because I felt as though the people in my life did not care about me. No one ever checks up on me, and I was always the one reaching out to “friends.” This made me feel like I cared about my friends more than they cared about me, which hurt my feelings. I got so fed up with feeling this way that I decided to express how I felt with them. Most of my friends empathized with me, saying that they did not mean to make me feel that way and that they will attempt to do a better job at reaching out to me.

However, I had one friend who completely dismissed what I was saying and simply stated that they were “too busy” to talk to me. This to me was not an excuse, as everyone is busy in today’s time. At the end of the day, we reach out to people who we care about. After this conversation, I cut my friend off because friends are not supposed to throw your feelings under the rug. They are supposed to listen to you and try to understand where you are coming from. A friend who dismisses you is not really your friend. If you find that you have someone in your life that pushes your feelings to the side then you should reconsider if they should be a part of your life. In addition, it is really draining to put your all into friendships or relationships without receiving the same energy back. I suggest everyone put their all into those you know are there for you. It feels great to know you are appreciated and valued by those you love.

A follow-up post talks about how to communicate with others in more detail. Check it out here!

Have you known someone you considered to be close with you who dismissed how you were feeling? How did you bring it up with them? When do you think is the best time to cut a friend off?