when you dump a friend

[marni]

do a releasing ceremony- write down all the things that you would have to vent to her on a piece of paper, stand quietly in a darkened room with some candles and incense or whatever makes you feel calm and centered. Read each item out loud and preface it with something like" I release" ......., or "I no longer accept"...... taking a breath in and blow it out between each item. At the end, burn the list and promise yourself that all of the negative energy is released and you don't need to let it or her back in.

Of course the other option is to get some graveyard dirt and sprinkle it around the boundary of your living space to keep out the negative energies and protect you. !

Renegade pagan at heart

[WindingRoad]

I'm reviving this thread.

I have a very long term friend of whom I have known since the 6th grade. It has never been an 'easy' friendship, she has always had mental health issues that were very difficult for me to understand at the time. I understand a bit more now that I am older and honestly because I've had to deal with some of my own issues. This friend has been so difficult to deal with lately. I have had a pretty bad run here recently and as a result I have been a little down and consequently tired more frequently. I have been back home now for a couple of weeks and we had planned to get together at some point. I'm leaving Monday and we had set a time to get together Saturday. I was REALLY tired and just didn't feel up to meeting her. It's bad b/c really I didn't feel like 'dealing' with her. I texted her I wasn't feeling good and I got a text back saying she understood I was going through a hard time but so was she and that my cancelling really hurt her feelings. I was initially angry but now I just think I'm starting to understand how she really sees me. I think she only cares about her own feelings because it always goes back to how everything affects her. There's never any true concern for me on her part. If there is I feel it's 'bait'. She asks just enough to seem concerned then starts in with how bad everything is in her life and how much worse it is than any trouble I have. I really don't want to be in a 'contest' for who has the worst problems! This just seems so unhealthy. I also don't like the fact that she is drinking a LOT more lately. I have tried to help steer her in the right direction with that with the help of my brother who is a recovering alcoholic. The final feeling I'm left with is that I'm not qualified to deal with her problems and it seems like historically she expects me to 'fix' her? It's not fair to ask that of a friend. Being a soundboard is one thing but this is beyond my capacity. She has completely neglected to factor in my feelings when it comes to sending back a whiny text about how my decision affects HER not even giving any attention to what I initially said which was that I WAS tired and didn't feel like going out (probably to drink). I am at a point where I am just tired. I'm tired of dealing with the drama, the selfishness, the passive aggressive digs and the emotional roller coaster that goes with it all. I really thought since I moved away she would get better but as soon as I get home it's like someone just hit the "pause" button and she starts back to the old antics. We have been friends for over 20 years now. As I mentioned things in my life have been a bit rough in the last 6 months and I would like to have more positive people in my life. When I am around her there is so much negativity unless alcohol is involved, only then are things fun and light. Obviously she has developed a drinking problem and I am having such a hard time with my own issues right now I don't want to take on hers too. I feel a bit selfish. I have met some new friends recently who are not 'downers' and I enjoy it. In fact one of my newest friends has a friend much like the one I am telling you all about and she opted to stop being friends with this negative person. This hasn't been the sole reason I have chosen to take a long hard look at the value of my friendship with my difficult friend, that has been brewing for years.

I apologize for turning this into a book but I like some input into how to separate myself from this person?

[Crankin]

You are not doing her any favors if you play into this. Especially with the drinking. Getting your brother involved really was a good idea. But, people with substance issues need to be ready to change. It sounds like she's not ready. She sounds like a classic "user," i.e. manipulative and selfish. There's always underlying mental health issues for someone who uses any substance, but you don't need to be around to fix it. You can't.
I stopped all contact with my aunt, and hence my cousins, because of her mental health issues and her racism. I did it cold turkey. It's sad that it's my mother's sister, but then I think about the way she acted; I don't need that. I only want to be around positive people who don't suck the life out of me.

[Irulan]

input into how to separate myself from this person?

http://www.al-anon.alateen.org/

[Jen12]

Winding Road, it sounds as if this person needs some help that you can't give her. I think if you truly want to separate yourself from her, you have two choices. You can either do it bit by bit and just not be available to her as often as you usually are or you can just not talk to her at all for a while. Either way, it's going to hurt both of you. I feel for you.

The friend thing in general can be nuts. I had a friend who, almost a year ago, completely attacked me out of nowhere, accusing me of wanting to end our friendship. She dissected an entire weekend trip and made everything I said and did be about her. She took the most innocuous stuff, like me not wanting to sit in the sun all afternoon, as a personal attack on her. She laid all of this on me via email and when I said she was being unreasonable (yes, an error on my part) she told me that I was the unreasonable one and she had more important things to do than talk to me. It was a bizzarre, bizarre exchange. Since then I've barely seen or heard from her. When we're with mutual friends she's syrupy sweet, but every time I've tried to invite her to hang out, she comes up with a reason not to, although she claims she's completely forgotten about being upset with me.

So...some people just go off the deep end. We wish there was some way to handle it, but I'm beginning to think it's better to back off and save yourself, as harsh as that sounds.