A person has experienced prolonged sadness, isolation and low energy for about a year while facing unemployment and major life changes. A close friend has minimized or avoided the person's vulnerable disclosures and recently expressed empathy for a co-worker's emotional crisis, prompting anger and envy. The person exited a vulnerable moment feeling hurt and believes the friend's behavior is inexcusable. Advice encourages calming down and reaching out to the friend, explaining the year-long struggle and how past attempts at disclosure were diminished. The friend may be unaware and tend to shrug off stressors. The advised conversation should be honest, specific, and assertive about the pain caused.
When you are able to calm down, you should reach out to your friend. Chances are, she is totally unaware of her behavior toward you. Because she doesn't handle stress well, she shrugs off your issues. Now, seeing her co-worker on a daily basis and observing whatever crisis she may have experienced has forced her to acknowledge someone else going through it.
I have been struggling with what feels like depression. I've never experienced these long periods of sadness, isolation and laziness before, but for the past year, I've been in a season of hardship, battling unemployment and other life changes. The other day, a close friend of mine broke down crying about how horrible she felt learning that one of her co-workers has been going through a tough time emotionally. My friend told me she hates hearing stories of people going through difficult periods.
Hearing her empathize with her co-worker infuriated me. I tried to sit through her moment of vulnerability, but all I could feel was anger and envy. I excused myself and decided to head home. I'm sure she was confused, but that kind of lack of consideration for me feels inexcusable. Is there a conversation I should have with her? Lack of Empathy
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