Editorials

Advice: Bitterness among best friends

28 June 2019

By Lauren E. White

Our friendships are some of the most important relationships in our lives and they matter a great deal to us all for obvious reasons that need not be explained. But what happens when bitterness among best friends seems to occur? Where do you go and how do you recover from it?

While it would be unfair to say that we’ve figured it all out, we do have some good advice on this matter for how you can at least attempt to solve all of the drama.

Generally speaking, bitterness arises from a place of insecurity and hatred for something. Bitterness from a best friend, then, probably has very little to do with you and a lot more to do with them. At the end of the day, they love you and they are incredibly close to you, so it is mighty unlikely that their bitterness is a result of hatred of you yourself.

Image result for salt and lemon bitter

So, the bitterness probably stems from what’s going on in their life. Think about it and think about what has happened. Are they having a rough time of it lately, or did something not quite go to plan in their lives? You’re most probably nodding your head because it all fits together now, right?

Seeing as said bitterness is not a result of your actions but a result of your best friend’s response to them, you need to rationalise the whole thing in your head. Whatever you do, don’t be bitter in response – that’s how you’ll lose them completely, and you don’t want to do that. Naturally, then, the first step to solving the problem is by talking about it. Bring it up when your best friend is next a bit bitter or cold towards you. Don’t hesitate to call them out on it.

Talking about things with your best friend should not be a problem because they’re your best friend. Take it slowly and be calm when discussing the situation. Listen to their side of the story, but be sure to communicate your own. If they’re mature enough, they’ll listen and understand. If they’re not mature enough, you’ll probably have to wait it out a little bit longer. And if that’s the case, make sure to be patient, but do not be a doormat. Don’t let yourself get walked all over for the sake of keeping a best friend.

Good luck.

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