All posts tagged: friendships

Woman Calls Off Her Engagement Over Fiancé’s Lifelong Girl Best Friend

Woman Calls Off Her Engagement Over Fiancé’s Lifelong Girl Best Friend

Published by Jenni Sidey

A bride-to-be is questioning whether people in relationships should have friends of their spouse’s gender after explaining why she’s decided to call off her engagement. With her wedding day approaching, Debra claimed that she couldn’t move forward with her relationship, which was probably a good plan. But the reason for the break was much deeper than simply that his best friend is a woman. Without trust, a relationship cannot flourish, and the same goes for open communication. A woman said she was calling off her engagement so she didn’t have to deal with her fiancé’s lifelong girl best friend. “So I’m breaking off my engagement the second my man walks through that door because I am literally so sick of his insane girl best friend,” Debra began in her video. “Listen, I knew this man had a girl best friend when I first started dating him, which was years ago.” Debra explained that her fiancé and this woman have been best friends since they were children. Despite meeting him and knowing he had a girl …

Employee Creates Graveyard To Remember All Of Her Favorite Co-Workers Who Left The Job

Employee Creates Graveyard To Remember All Of Her Favorite Co-Workers Who Left The Job

Published by Jenni Sidey

A woman named Alexia shared the humorous and poignant remembrance she created in honor of her co-worker friends who no longer worked with her. She created a “graveyard” by printing out pictures of resigned co-workers and taping them to her desktop monitor. While her social media post was meant to be all in good fun, the truth is that co-workers impact our lives. These are people you spend a significant amount of your life with, and when they are no longer a part of your daily routine, that creates loss. Work friends make the day more manageable. They give you an outlet for frustration. They offer support and camaraderie and even a little spark of joy in often otherwise monotonous days. An employee created a ‘graveyard’ to remember her favorite co-workers who left the job. AnnaStills | Shutterstock Alexia captioned her Instagram post simply “Why do my favs keep leaving?!” The four images of smiling faces were followed by a gravestone reading R.I.P. She didn’t have their pictures on top of her desk, but rather …

Women who become more selective with friendships in midlife aren’t isolating, they’re recalibrating

Women who become more selective with friendships in midlife aren’t isolating, they’re recalibrating

Published by Daniella Wilson

We all know the moment. The group chat lights up again. Messages pile in, dinner plans take shape, numbers grow, venues change, and suddenly what began as a simple catch-up becomes a sprawling social commitment involving people we barely know. And while there is genuine appreciation in being included, there is often another feeling that follows quietly behind it. A small sinking sensation that has nothing to do with the people themselves and everything to do with energy. Because while seeing one close friend sounds wonderful, the thought of listening to hours of small talk, loud restaurants, late nights, and social performance can feel unexpectedly draining. So we hesitate, we mute the thread, sometimes we politely decline. Occasionally, we cancel altogether and spend the evening at home feeling not lonely, but relieved. For many women in midlife, this shift arrives almost without warning. Social habits that once felt effortless begin to feel negotiable. Large gatherings lose their appeal, while meaningful one-on-one connection becomes deeply satisfying. And although it can initially trigger guilt or self-doubt, psychologists …

If You Know Someone Who’s Truly Difficult To Get Along With, It’s Probably Because They Have These 11 Traits

If You Know Someone Who’s Truly Difficult To Get Along With, It’s Probably Because They Have These 11 Traits

Published by Jenni Sidey

Everyone has different personalities, boundaries, and expectations in friendships and relationships, so it’s completely normal that not everyone clicks. But when someone consistently struggles to maintain healthy connections, there’s usually more going on beneath the surface. People who are truly difficult to get along with often carry subtle personality traits that make relationships feel tense, exhausting, or one-sided, even when they don’t mean to. Research suggests that many of these traits are closely tied to insecurity and an unmet need for emotional safety and stability. While their behaviors can come across as annoying, selfish, or frustrating, they’re often rooted in unresolved internal conflict. That combination makes these traits especially hard to recognize, take responsibility for, or change. If you know someone who’s consistently hard to connect with, it’s probably because they show up with these certain traits. If you know someone who’s truly difficult to get along with, it’s probably because they have these 11 traits: 1. They have transactional relationships garetsworkshop | Shutterstock.com While experts have primarily studied and researched transactional relationships, their presence …

How to maintain close friendships as an adult – 6 key habits that make it easier

How to maintain close friendships as an adult – 6 key habits that make it easier

Published by Sam Flores

When it comes to friendship, the outlook is pretty darn bleak. In the US, around one in six Americans say they feel lonely or isolated from those around them all or most of the time. In 1990, just 3 per cent said they had no close friends. Three decades later, 12 per cent said the same. It’s understandable. Making new friends in adulthood is hard. “Third places” where people go to hang out and connect are disappearing. The pandemic caused a lot of friends to fall out of touch. Still, people who study and facilitate friendships for a living believe that with effort – and a bit of strategy – it’s possible to foster the kind of strong, invigorating platonic bonds that so many of us crave. We asked several of them for the go-to friendship boosters they lean on in their own lives. Here’s what they recommended. PRACTICE “AGGRESSIVE” FRIENDSHIP The hardest part of adult friendship is, arguably, simply finding time to hang out. So it is often the case that one person needs to …

Find Comfort in Friendships During Turbulent Times

Find Comfort in Friendships During Turbulent Times

Published by Jenni Sidey

I’ll admit it. I’ve always been an introvert—a card-carrying, dyed-in-the-wool introvert. A “don’t mess with me, I need my alone time” introvert. Maybe some of you can relate. Lately, I’ve started noticing the importance of friendship in my life. This comes at an unheard-of time of change, disruption, and societal trauma. While it may not be surprising that I’m personally feeling the importance of a few close, deep friends (‘heart friends’), it spurred me into thinking about how others are faring at this time and how close, bonded friendships may help us. In fact, friendships are positively correlated with emotional well-being, which we all could use more of right now. How are you holding up right now? For most of us, this is a loaded question. Many of us have recently found ourselves on a giant ship that felt like it is perilously close to sinking, heading toward a hurricane. How do we navigate the rough and scary waters, seemingly filled with sharks and serpents, and waves that threaten to swallow you whole? Do we …

9 Proven Tools for Nurturing Old and New Friendships

9 Proven Tools for Nurturing Old and New Friendships

Published by Jenni Sidey

I met Simone* in college, and we are not alike in many ways. Yet she’s the friend I call when I’m upset or if I am not sure what to do next, when I want to share a secret or celebrate a success. We look to each other for a good laugh or to cheer one another up. We live many states apart, but we prioritize connecting whenever we can. We feel safe, protected, and valued, and after years of friendship, I don’t know what we would do without each other. Of course, that’s not to say every relationship doesn’t have its ups and downs. Recently, Simone and I, along with our significant others, had a heated discussion on a Zoom call over, no surprise, politics. Afterward, my husband was concerned that Simone would not speak to me anytime soon. I reminded him that our connection was too tight for that to happen; it’s highly unlikely we would dismiss each other when we don’t agree. He knows that from his own friendships. I’ve witnessed him …

If A Woman Has These 11 Habits, She’s Probably The Best Friend You’ll Ever Have

If A Woman Has These 11 Habits, She’s Probably The Best Friend You’ll Ever Have

Published by Jenni Sidey

Good friends are hard to find. Research has found that support from friends can provide stronger well-being than support from family relationships. Having a close bond with our peers goes a long way. From providing companionship to offering care when we need it most, friends are invaluable. However, it isn’t always easy to find good, close friends. Not everyone is capable of showing up for others when they need it most. We’ve all heard that when things get rough, we find out who our true friends are. During those moments of uncertainty, only the truest friends will come forward. You’ll notice immediately that the woman who provides the most support has certain habits that set her apart from others. The way she does things makes her the best friend you’ll ever have. Women who have each other’s backs are special. If a woman has these 11 habits, she’s probably the best friend you’ll ever have 1. She’s always there Karola G from Pexels via Canva Through the good and the bad, a friend like this is always …

People With High Social Intelligence Do These 20 Things Differently Than Everyone Else

People With High Social Intelligence Do These 20 Things Differently Than Everyone Else

Published by Jenni Sidey

Social intelligence is integral to fostering the relationships we make and maintain with others. When you have a better understanding of the best way to interact with loved ones and even new acquaintances, your connections can flourish. Unfortunately, when we’re attempting to connect with another person, we may find it difficult to do so. But for people who are socially intelligent, we can learn a thing or two from them. People with high social intelligence do certain things differently than everyone else. Whether it’s making time to learn from others or leading with empathy and kindness, the way they approach these situations shows how much effort they put into communicating effectively with the people and world around them. People with high social intelligence do these 20 things differently than everyone else 1. They solve issues quickly Prostock-studio | Shutterstock Connections are collaborative, but they can be quickly sabotaged when people don’t feel genuinely loved and supported. Even in the most difficult situations and conflicts, being in a partnership or friendship means you attack problems together. …

Why your 30s are the golden era for female friendships

Why your 30s are the golden era for female friendships

Published by Daniella Wilson

Join the Independent Women newsletter with Victoria Richards for a thoughtful take on the week’s headlines Join the Independent Women newsletter  Join the Independent Women newsletter  Friendship isn’t supposed to come with an expiration date. The idea is generally that you enter into it for good, forging a bond that will only get stronger over time. But women are often sold a different story, particularly when we reach our 30s, and suddenly every lifestyle choice we’ve ever made is being microscopically scrutinised and weaponised as a tool for severance. Are you married? Do you want children? Which schools do you live closest to? Are you dating? Do you go out on weeknights? Which dating apps are you paying for? It’s a decade that divides us into camps. And those camps are often pitted against one another; many friendships won’t withstand the opposition. Married friends versus single ones, and so on. It sounds silly, but it really does happen – I’ve seen it myself many times: women feeling resentful on either side because their friend no …