How do you kindly tell a friend they are talking too much about themselves?
Hey gang, well the title is what it is. How do I kindly tell a beloved friend that I also deserve a moment to talk about myself? I love our venting moments but it appears we have gone from a healthy friendship to trauma dumping. I haven’t told her that’s how I felt because honestly I don’t mind the venting, it’s just that I realize I no longer can talk about fun things for me.
For example I tried to talk about happy things like planning my honeymoon to which she replied “I wish I could have that…” (genuinely I try to be humble while still sharing the things I’m looking forward to, (I thought should be okay bc she does it to me) she’s a trusted friend so she shouldn’t be jealous anyway but I don’t hold it against her bc I also get her perspective and want to support her.
I can’t talk much about myself, how can I interject in a way that’s not offensive to others but holds space for myself? Also, I’m realizing our phone calls are 2 hours, mostly her venting, and once we clear things up in her life, she then takes that moment to talk about other things instead of asking about me. So how do I kindly insert myself? I am the maid of honor for her wedding and I want to preserve our friendship. To me, it’s a minor problem, I just don’t know how to let her know I would also like at least 5 minutes to share things about myself. Any thoughts?
Posted Apr 14, 2025, 9:30 PM UTC