Hey Dear Confused:

In your last post you wrote: “I was thinking she would be hurt and leave me, so my mind went to freeze mode/avoidance for protection?”-

In my last message I reacted to the I was thinking she would be hurt part”, spontaneously projecting my experience of guilt, having put myself 2nd to the person I felt that I had hurt.

This morning, I see that I didn’t see the other part of your sentence, that you were thinking she’d leave you.

Did you feel guilty for possibly hurting her or were you more afraid that she’d leave you?

🤔 Anita

Good morning, Sonia 🙂

Congratulations for evolving and deciding that you don’t want a friendship that’s draining you, and for slowly letting go of the people-pleasing-rescuer-role (even though it’s a painful process) 👍

You started your first thread on Jan 19, exactly 3 months ago. On your first post on that date, you wrote that you were worried that if you become more distant, he will fall into depression, or deeper depression.

Fast forward, he closed the doors and you’re wondering, if I understand correctly, if in reality you were as important/ helpful to him as you thought you were.

First, I want to say that it’s natural to think/ feel this way after spending so much time and energy trying to help him while sacrificing yourself doing so (his feelings mattered most).

Second, your friendship story reminds me of my relationship with my mother. To me, her feelings mattered and mine didn’t. I was solely focused on her well- being (lack of, more accurately 😔), trying my best to help her.

Fast forward, as an adult, I distanced myself from her to the point of kindly letting her know that there’ll be no more contact between the two of us.

After that, I received one card from her (for my birthday) and that was the extent of her contacting me for years to come.

As time went by I realized that I was surprised that she didn’t try to contact me beyond that one card in which she didn’t ask me to renew contact, as far as I remember (that was 12 years ago).

In My Mind- because she was so important to me- I thought or felt (without even realizing it) that I was equally as important to her. Now I know this to be Projection: seeing in her what was true for me, not what was true for her).

I know I’m talking about a mother while you’re talking about a friend, but does any of this resonate with you?

🤔 Anita

Dear myoid/ Arden:

I am posing here because I want to email your Gmail address tomorrow, THREE years after you offered it, just in case it’d make a difference

🤍 Anita

Good 🌃-🌄 🌙-🦉 Confused:

Thank you for not leaving without telling me and 4 not judging my emojis 🙏

Why the connection suddenly felt like a burden rather than enjoyment?

Was it:

A. her anxiety (going into possible future scenarios, trying to solve problems that weren’t there)?

B. Was it the talk about you moving to a different country, leaving the familiar behind?

C. Something else?

🤔 Anita

* You know I’m emoji-sensitive, so.. I just looked at the above and noticed that I submitted one with red hearts on its face. I mistakenly (poor eyesight and no glasses on) thought it was an emoji blowing a red whistle, or wearing a red party hat as a gesture of celebration (that you’re still here).

I didn’t see the hearts and don’t want to appear weird for sending red hearts to a young man. That would be 🤢-able.

🥳 more like it, Anita

YES! Confused is still here 👍🥰✨

Yes, of course, guilt is affecting you. You indicated that many times, beginning in your very first message here, on Dec 19, 2025: “feeling like a burden and like I am responsible for her feelings” and last, in your post before last: “Yes i have been very guiltful 🙁”.

Maybe we should explore your guilt, figure out what it’s about, when it started?

Anita (who knows a thing or two about guilt)

Oh, my goodness, Confused: it’s longer than 24 hours since you posted last. 25.5 hours since you posted last. The thought: I may never read from you again.

It happened so many times over the years. If this is a goodbye, then 👋

🌙 🦉 🐇 🍦 🍕 🤢 😐 😊 Anita