Although it might hurt when someone exits your life, it can actually be a positive change in the end! It might take some time before you realize it, and that’s okay.
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"Why do you care so much about accidentally leaving people out?" Because I've had friend groups where they were the planets and I was their Pluto.
I've had friend groups where our dynamics revolved around a Sun, with everyone vying for their attention if only to bask in their light for a mere moment. Where our thinly strung bonds collapsed the second our Sun left.
I've had friend groups where they bonded as Saturn's rings, finding solace in their shared shortcomings while isolating those more talented than them.
But I've also had friend groups where we bond as Neptune and Uranus—so similar we could be known as twins. Friend groups like Venus and Earth: so awfully different, yet it was those differences that kept us together.
And I would rather create a social system like the latter than the former.
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she says he won't let her get a dog, which is fine, because they're in an apartment, and that's the kind of thing people say about their partners. he won't let me get a dog. and you're at a dinner party and you tilt your head a little to the side just like that dog he won't let her get, because is this the thing that's going to upset you? you don't know every corner of their relationship, she could be joking, they could have had so many healthy conversations about the dog, right, and maybe she's not letting herself get the dog because of money and time and whatever. but, like, she did say let
and she wants to move away from his hometown and he wants to stay and then he tells you with a wink and a conspiratorial stage whisper don't worry i'll convince her and she laughs about it - so clearly this is something they laugh about. but you do just stand there and stare at him like what the fuck, man. you can't say what you want to say which is why do you get the final say on everything because they're both obviously aware of the other person's stance on this and have obviously had private conversations about it and what are you going to do about it except make a scene and then he'll be mad at you and call you one of those bitches behind your back and she'll cut you off, which is a loss that doesn't feel worth it just because he makes you a little skeeved out every 3rd comment
and they both agree he just isn't the type to get flowers which is fine because everyone shows love differently, and are you really gonna judge someone based on their sense of individual relationship responsibility? maybe he's constantly cleaning her car and writing her poems and making her furniture or something. maybe she doesn't even like flowers and this is perfect, actually. and no you couldn't date him, obviously, ew; but like, she tells you she's happy. you almost send her a tiktok that says don't be 25 and the cool girl that doesn't need anything, you'll hate not getting flowers at 30, but that's like, starting drama & you shouldn't start drama needlessly.
and you're a little older than her but not so much older you can pull the whole trust me on this one babe thing and besides that wouldn't have worked anyway (when does it ever) and besides you have trauma so you and your therapist both agree that you're always looking for a problem even when there isn't one. and you tell yourself that just because you see them for 15 minutes every month does not mean you can identify every single red flag based on a single shitty half-joking(?) comment
and besides, what are you going to do? she says i actually wanted another stand mixer but thankfully he stops me when i'm about to spend too much money and you're standing there like are you okay? is this normal? is this just something people say? and again - what are you going to do?
to your therapist you try to language it - it's not, like, any of my business. but sometimes, doesn't it feel like - you should do something. there's got to be something, right? you've tried dropping little hints but they sail right through and you've tried having a single serious conversation and she got upset because why does it matter to you, yes it's different but we're happy, it doesn't need to make sense to you and you're like. really unwilling to push a boundary about it anymore; because the truth is that you know logically it shouldn't matter to you, as long as both parties are happy.
and besides, you've been wrong before. it's just... like, every time you see them both, something else happens, some kind of shiver down your spine like do you even hear each other when you talk. it's their strange, bickering orbit. just the way he's on his phone through dinner or watching sports instead of helping in the kitchen or, fuck, another one of these little throwaway comments he makes about we'll see about that, babe. she laughs when he calls her passions stupid shit and meanwhile she gets him tickets to see the knicks and he tells you well at least she's smart about something and still! it's none of your business.
you say get the dog anyway and she laughs. like, this is is you being funny. and not you saying - no really. get the dog. get the dog and get out of here. pack up and start running.
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How to recognize when you need to set a boundary
Physical signs of your body telling you "no":
Bile in your throat
Panic
freeze response aka frozen or paralyzed w fear
Heart paced real fast
Anxiety
Unsettled stomach/gut feeling
Head fuzzy
Head & chest feels tight
Face might scrunch up in disgust/disbelief/pain etc
"ick" or "ew"
fainting or feeling weak as a result
crying
feeling like hurting yourself
cheeks hot, face flushed (embarrassment out of fear or humiliation)
fight/flight/freeze/fawn response gets triggered
body feels "charged" or "activated"
wanting to yell or shout back
wanting to run away
wanting to hide
wanting to stuff yourself with food/substances/alcohol etc to numb the pain
heart feels heavy or pounds at awkward intervals
not being able to eat
head shakes "no"
backing away
asking or screaming for help
feeling scared
feeling "on alert"
not knowing what to say
arms protecting yourself
not being able to move
Emotional signs that you are not safe:
Unsettling environment
Fawning aka "going with what they want" even if you don't feel good about it
Uncomfortable
Knowing the other person doesn't like it when you express things different from their own beliefs
Knowing if you spoke up you would be either mocked or downplayed or told you're being too sensitive
Being told you're "disrespectful" or "not allowed" to talk back or disagree in any way
Being told you're too chicken or being forced to feel dumb or stupid if you don't join in
Being openly mocked or talked about by the whole group
Expressing a concern and they get mad at you for being mad at them
You're always the one in the wrong even when you were the one being hurt
They use grandiose words and phrases to assert dominance
"walking on eggshells"
They continue to do the things you asked them to stop doing even after countless times asking them
They don't care about how you feel
They make no effort to acknowledge your feelings or acknowledge how their behavior is affecting you
They force you to participate in drugs/alcohol
They hold their power and good deeds they have done for you over your head and threaten to stop helping or support you or even take back what they have given you
They are physically aggressive/ violent
Rage
Rage during substance use
Touching you without asking
Downplaying anything you need as not important
What to do:
Take a deep breath
Take your time figuring it out
Remind yourself this isn't your fault
Stay focused on the behavior- because they WILL try to detract from it & turn it around on you
Gather your resources
Consider leaving or cutting contact
Consider therapy or online support groups to help yourself breathe and find safer spaces for yourself
Have an exit plan
Do not engage with the arguments & emotional bait
Cultivate your privacy
Cultivate your security
Cultivate yourself a safe space
Prepare yourself for the backlash
Ask someone safe to go with you
Call someone safe and ask them to stay on the phone with you if you do not feel safe
Self defense tools like pepper spray & brass knuckles
Know you're worth the exit
Take yourself seriously when they dont
Honor the gut feelings
Restore faith in your judgement
Honor your voice
Honor your body
Honor your "no"
Ask for a pause- "I need a break."
Ask for clarity- "Can you clarify that?"
Ask what their intentions are- "Are you being helpful or hurtful?"
Bring attention to the behavior and how it's making you feel- "I'm not comfortable with the way you're ignoring my concerns."
Make direct eye contact & deepen your voice- "You need to stop."
Do not apologize
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Hope this helps!
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
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bff!ellie who just hates every single girl you get with and you just don’t know why!! why she scoffs every time your eyes get all sparkly and you bat your eyelashes when you tell her about your newest crush. why she tugs you on her lap at parties when a girl eyes you for a little too long. the smallest fight with your situationship and ellie is demanding shes no good for you, and you should break it off. ellie’s just being a good friend.. right? just looking out for you when she tells you the good times will never last whenever a girl gifts you flowers or takes you on a date. it has nothing to do with how she was drunk that one night and pressed her lips to the shell of your ear, hot breath seeping into your brain as she whispered, “none of those girls can be me, none of them.” right?
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