Tips to handle a one-sided friendship

Friendships are one of the most beautiful relationships in the world. They are the ones we grow up with, they see us through our struggles and joys of life. Friends are our loudest cheerleader and also the ones who lend us their shoulders to cry on in difficult times. From being the partner in crime to our protector when the need arises, friends are our chosen family. 

However, sometimes friendships can also become difficult to deal with, especially when they start to become one-sided. When we feel that friendship is being respected by us and not by the other person, it can affect us mentally. "Some friendships can recover from a one-sided vibe, but some can’t. Either way, it is important to talk about it," wrote Therapist Israa Nasir.

"Managing friendships is a journey that requires growth and softness, openness and compassion," the Therapist further added as she noted down a few ways by which we can handle one-sided friendships:

Canceling plans: Often we see our friends' canceling plans with us very frequently for other things. While they can have their own reasons, when it keeps happening for a long period of time, we should address things and ask them to prioritise their things and try to spend time with us as well.

Taking it for granted: often a friend contacts us only when they need help and goes off when they are not in need of anything from our end. We should bring it up in the conversation and let them know that we would like to spend time with them even when there are no specific requests involved.

Absence of effort: If we feel that we are the only ones working on keeping the friendship and there are no efforts involved from the other end, we should address it and ask them to be more involved.

Prioritising romantic relationships: Friendships are a part of life and there are other relationships involved as well. But when someone tries to constantly cancel on us just because they need to be more involved in their romantic relationships, we should address it and ask them to balance their time better.