Sigh. Where do I even begin?
I am beyond frustrated with a longtime friend. She is majorly depressive and anxiety controls her life, which I empathize with, causing many of her problems to be created by her own actions and/or inaction. She's now going through a divorce and her self-esteem has been decimated. She didn't have much to begin with, which is how she ended up married to someone she settled for. Myself and others who care about her have mentioned that she would benefit greatly from counseling, and she agrees - but continues to not pursue it. She relies on her friends to be her therapists and it is wearing all of us down. I have distanced myself from her over the last few days because her complaints, worries, and stress end up on my shoulders and weigh me down on top of my own problems.
Basically, I don't know how to handle this or what to tell her regarding my lack of communication. She has become a toxic person and there are limits to my compassion towards those who refuse to help themselves. I don't want to cut her off completely, however I have toyed with the idea as a possible catalyst for change. I fear that would backfire and push her further into self-pity. This person has always been the Eeyore of our group, but she's spiraling out of control now and doesn't seem to want to believe she sincerely needs help with her mental and emotional health. What the hell am I supposed to do here?
I am a typical depressed, anxiety ridden person. I know that if I do not deal with these, at least to a certain degree, I become a toxic person—to myself and others. I’ve also been subject, dare I say victim, to others toxicity.
From these experiences, I say to you to rid your life of this person. Don’t expect it to be emotionally easy, as they will fight it. And they will guilt you, rant at you, blame you. However, the relief you feel at the onset, will prove you are doing the correct thing —for YOU. And remember, it’s YOUR life that matters.
Almost everyone deserves a second chance (a third sometimes), so tell her the truth of your feelings (if you need to, do so in a letter/message/text) one last time. Tell her the parameters in which you need to keep the relationship. Give succinct guidelines of what you will permit, or not.
Although, in my experience, they won’t change for you.
Try to also remember that you CAN NOT help someone who does NOT want to help themselves. It’s an uphill battle, that can never be won.
I hope any of this helps you.
It does help, thank you. It reiterates for me that she may not get help just because we ask her to, and distancing myself is the right thing to do for me.
As someone currently dealing with depression as well as someone who has suffered on tube opposite side of codependent relationships, I get your frustration. My best advice to you is to state to her simply and clearly the next time she reaches out that you are not capable of offering the support she needs and suggest, one last time, that she seek out a professional who is trained to offer the help she needs.
You might also mention that you cannot put her mental health needs ahead of your own and that her current approach has become emotionally toxic to you. If you are aware of specific resources you may even offer to accompany her to an appointment with the understanding that she must continue counseling or lose contact with you completely.
None of this will work unless she wants it to, and be prepared for backlash, because it's far easier for her to call you a bad friend for abandoning her than it will be for her to admit her own part in the problem. That said, don't attempt to direct blame at her or become defensive because that will only reinforce her erroneous perspective.
This is solid advice. Thank you.
This is very, very good advice.
That's such a difficult situation: I've been in it many times, both as the friend of the depressive and as the depressive. I think being the depressive taught me most: at my worst, I was so negative that whenever a friend tried to help me I'd basically spit their well-meaning words right back in their face. When I got a bit better, I felt absolutely mortified about some of the things I'd said in reply to well-meaning people who cared about me, and quite frankly I'm amazed none of them refused to have anything to do with me ever again. And very, very thankful of course, because even though I was unable to appreciate what they were doing for me at that time, those friends pulled me through several deeply shit years and I wouldn't be here right now had it not been for them.
If you offer to help her, she's likely to reject you - but it really is the depression talking, not her. Now that I'm over the bad years, I find I'm better able to cope with friends who are going through what I went through; when they make me want to punch things and scream "YOU FUCKING UNGRATEFUL BITCH!" I tell them I'm there for them, and I know that there's a part of them that truly values that - and then I go home and punch the wall while screaming "YOU FUCKING UNGRATEFUL BITCH!"
One day - I hope - your friend will be able to say "thanks for being there."
PS: hope that makes sense. I stopped off on my way home and bought couple of bottles of cheap red wine from the village shop, and one of them seems to be empty already.
@Akfishlady it's 10pm here so the shop's open for another hour and this stuff ain't bad for £4 a bottle. Book a flight; I'll pop back down to the village for another six bottles - see you at about 8am my time for a boozy breakfast
@Jnei Haha it did make sense!
@WickedNicki Good! I had to re-read it about fourteen times to make sure, and by then I'd forgotten what I meant to say anyway!
@Akfishlady Actually, forget my last comment - I just googled "Olympia, washington" (because: weirdo online stalker) and got this result. I'm on my way over - let's get totally rat-arsed!