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Friends Becoming Distant

(16 Posts)
Citygirl1 Mon 12-Oct-26 13:29:04

Does anyone find that some friends have dwindled and become distance or awkward?

I have always had a good circle of friends which I still have to a degree but a couple of them have become distanct.

One of them met a friend on holiday two years ago which is great, I make other friends too but I don't push out my long standing friends. She has done this with me. She doesn't contact me despite me having reached out to her so I now I no longer persue her. She is on Facebook out with this friend all the time and never contacts me.

Another long standing friend is always in contact with me because she has become very awkward and self centred since joining a walking group. I am pleased for that she has this, don't get me wrong, but every time we meet she insists we go for long walks and is critical of the things I like to do so I find that, although we are in touch, I am wary of meeting her now because she is so critical.

What do you do with friends like this? Do you hold onto them just to keep your circle larger?

Citygirl1 Mon 12-Oct-26 13:31:11

Sorry for the typos, I am rushing this to get back to work.

Shel1951 Mon 12-Oct-26 13:32:37

I would get rid,concentrate on your real friends, those you have something in common with.

Cossy Mon 12-Oct-26 13:34:49

Yes, and it was sad but we’ve moved on

Fallingstar Mon 12-Oct-26 14:17:28

Friends do come and go over the years but I have a couple of steadfast friends, sadly they don’t live near me. As our lives change I find our group of friends do too. Is not a bad thing is just life. Wouldn’t really worry about this too much, if you find friends distant or awkward just hold onto those closer to you that you have more in common with.

MT62 Mon 12-Oct-26 14:21:59

Yes get shut if you have other more positive friends.
I don’t let people live rent free in my head anymore.
Life is too short.

petra Mon 12-Oct-26 14:26:31

Some friends are chapters, not whole stories.
That’s the way I think about friends.

CarrotTop Mon 12-Oct-26 14:27:22

I think with the rise of social media, the notion of having perfect, super-compatible friends has become almost obsessively important. Also there's an extra-sensitivity to perceived criticism. Maybe there's something wrong with me but I can't imagine why that has come about. We're all just people trying to get along, and everyday life throws enough sh-you-know-what at us, without giving ourselves grief because someone has made another friend she likes quite a lot.
Life would be stale if we didn't have a variety of relationships and if a friendship has run its course, that's fine, it's normal. If a friend meets someone else she gets along with, I doubt very much whether she's being intentionally spiteful to any of her old friends. It's just what happens in life.
You've got two options with the friend you spoke about - you can either try (gently) to find out why she criticises you so often or you can try not be so readily available and see whether she stays around - the ball will be in her court. I wish you luck. Please don't let it sour your life.

Flippin2 Mon 12-Oct-26 14:39:53

I don't have friends,my family keep me going,I've been let down by so called friends who only want you when they're bored or no one else is available and I decided enough's enough..

MT62 Mon 12-Oct-26 14:47:54

petra

Some friends are chapters, not whole stories.
That’s the way I think about friends.

True.
I do have one friend though who is a total drain on my time. I keep her at a distance as she’s not a person you could easily cancel. She’s Constantly moaning about money, she has just received a windfall, so obviously it’s not enough.
How she wishes her husband would die so that she will get his pension & insurance money.
I don’t need friends like that in my life.
Her husband is a lovely man, quiet, but a bit too boring for her.
One day I hope he wakes up & smells the coffee 😞

crazyH Mon 12-Oct-26 14:57:15

Friends for a season and friends for a reason.
I’ve had those ……

SpinDriftCoastal Mon 12-Oct-26 15:43:25

Just let them slide. If they want to know you they will soon contact you.

M0nica Mon 12-Oct-26 17:47:00

I do not have a large friendship circle, but the friends I have are staunch, although now being diminshed by death.

Grandma70s Mon 12-Oct-26 18:52:14

I am not interested in having a large social circle, but I have three very close friends. One I’ve known since we were fourteen, one from when we were in our thirties with young children, and my very best friend from when we at university. Our lives have run parallel. We got married at roughly the same time, had children at the same time (two sons each), and are now both in our mid-eighties. She’s the only one I now see regularly. The others are too far away, but we keep in touch by phone.

There is one friend (ex-friend?) I’d like to see, but she has drifted away, I think because she likes to be very active, always doing things, and I am not able to keep up with her. She is younger than me. To me this isn’t how a real friend behaves, so I feel very let down. I think she has difficulty with relationships beyond the superficial.

Citygirl1 Mon 12-Oct-26 21:09:12

Grandma70s

I am not interested in having a large social circle, but I have three very close friends. One I’ve known since we were fourteen, one from when we were in our thirties with young children, and my very best friend from when we at university. Our lives have run parallel. We got married at roughly the same time, had children at the same time (two sons each), and are now both in our mid-eighties. She’s the only one I now see regularly. The others are too far away, but we keep in touch by phone.

There is one friend (ex-friend?) I’d like to see, but she has drifted away, I think because she likes to be very active, always doing things, and I am not able to keep up with her. She is younger than me. To me this isn’t how a real friend behaves, so I feel very let down. I think she has difficulty with relationships beyond the superficial.

I sympathise with you here. This is how my critical friend is. She's joined this walking group and thinks I should want to go on walks when we meet up. I am able to walk but walking for miles and going nowhere isn't my thing. She spends the whole time criticising me which is why I don't meet her as often.

nanna8 Mon 12-Oct-26 23:17:14

Just move on and concentrate on other friends. We all change over time and sometimes in an opposite direction from our friends. As they say, you can’t change people, only yourself. It is hard ,though, I can sympathise with you.