Here’s How To Tell If You’re Stuck In A One-Sided Friendship, Putting In Way More Time And Care Than You Receive Back
While friendships are a gift and good, healthy friendships can bring so much to our lives, they can sadly take a turn and get to a more toxic point.
One of the darker sides of friendship is being in a one-sided friendship.
A one-sided friendship essentially means that between two friends, one puts in significantly more effort than the other. One friend is usually more willing to spend time with the other and always makes room for plans.
A one-sided friendship can also involve one friend who constantly gets to vent about issues in their life but never wants to listen to what is going on in their friend’s life.
One-sided friendship can be easy to fall into, especially if you’re someone who is uncomfortable with the idea of dropping a friend or ending any kind of relationship. They can be toxic, exhausting, and unpleasant to have in your life.
If you think you may be in a one-sided friendship but aren’t sure, here are some signs to identify one.
You are always the first to contact them.
This is a more subtle sign to look out for, but it’ll stick with you once you notice it.
If you are always initiating conversations between you and your friend, whether you’re asking to hang out or simply checking in on them, it’s a red flag.
Oleksandr – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
Your friends should want to converse with you just as much as you want to converse with them.
You hardly get to talk about your issues.
This is one of the biggest problems of any one-sided relationship, whether romantic or platonic. It isn’t fun to listen to someone complain about their life and issues and seek advice from you without being open to giving you some in return.
You deserve to have someone in your life who wants to know what’s going on with you, wants to let you vent, and wants to help you.
They make time for other people, but not you.
Have you ever felt the sting of getting turned down by a friend only to see that they’re hanging out with a bunch of other people besides you?
It’s a horrible feeling to see someone else prioritizing other friends before you, especially if you’ve been a great supportive friend to them.
Even if someone is popular, they should prioritize quality time with the friends who are most important to them.
They don’t support you when you really need it.
One of my biggest pet peeves is when I show a ton of support for a friend after they accomplished something great or go through a really hard time, and they don’t do the same for me.
Good friends should be able to tell when the people in their lives need them and their support the most. They have your back in the best of times and the worst of times.
Pouring all of your love and energy into a friendship with someone who doesn’t give it back is one tiring and emotionally painful experience.
Even if you have a few friendships, I promise you, it’s not worth staying in a one-sided one.
Consider communicating your feelings to this friend to see if they’d like to work on things, or perhaps, close the book and focus on the people who show up for you.
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