In the Media – Small Dose Friends (The Glow)
The Glow (screenshot)
On The Glow, an Australian online publication, Lizzie Marton writes about small dose friends.
She writes:
You know the ones I’m talking about. The people you adore seeing when it’s been a while, but if you see them too often it’s emotionally draining. Or irritating. Or just exhausting.
But that doesn’t mean that they’re not a very important part of your life.
These are people who grate on you when you see them too often–or for too long a period. But there’s something that keeps you engaged in the friendship.
Marton quoted The Friendship Doctor who was recently interviewed on this same topic by another reporter:
“If something is consistently toxic or consistently negative, then you just don’t want it,” Levine told Mic.
“But if it’s somebody with whom you have a shared history that’s irreplaceable — somebody who knows your parents, grew up on your block, went away to school with you — these are treasured memories you share with a person.”
In the remainder of the article, Marton gives six reasons why you or someone else you do might wind up being considered a “small dose” friend.
Read the article in its entirety in The Glow.
Category: IN THE MEDIA, OTHER ADVICE
Small dose friends are okay, but it is so important to realize that they are just that, and not to overspend your/their welcome! It’s happened to me, and I’m always sorry afterwards.
Great article, and I especially like the idea that friendship doesn’t have to be an “all or nothing” investment. There are some friends in our lives who are extremely comfortable to be with; they are mutually supportive and it’s hard to tire of them. But oh yes — I do have a few friends on my list that are better seen in small doses.
I have a two. I care about them, but anything other than small doses feels more like work than friendship. I don’t subscribe to their FB pages or other social media, to avoid feeling irritated. If we didn’t travel in the same social circle, I’d probably move on.