What should I do?
Hello everyone, I (26M) recently accidentally crossed a boundary of my best friend (23M) by giving him a side hug. He had stated previously that hugs make him uncomfortable, but I genuinely forgot in the moment. For context: I am very much a physical touch person. I also struggle with treatment resistant depression. Both of these can get me into quite a lot of trouble if I’m not careful, like right now, so I usually have my guard up all day. He and I met in grad school and are under the same professor. We clicked instantly, and over time grew pretty close. I’ve been struggling a lot with loneliness lately and spending time with him was really helpful. I got very comfortable around him, which is honestly rare, and let my guard down a little. He had done some great work recently and I was feeling proud of him, so I gave him a side hug as we were leaving. I had genuinely forgotten about his boundary. I’ve apologized several times and given him space, but I feel like I ruined the friendship entirely with one mistake and have lost what I consider my most meaningful friendship.
Is there anything else I can do? Or is it just over…
Posted Jul 5, 2026, 8:59 PM UTC