Friendships require open communication.

This woman confronted her best friend about patterns she noticed in his behavior.

She asked about him facing his fears and why he shuts down whenever he feels uncomfortable.

He didn’t take it well, which led to a lot of yelling, name-calling, and silent treatment.

Check out the full story below to find out more.

AITA for being honest with my best friend about how he shuts down during uncomfortable talks?

I don’t even know if I was being a jerk or if something’s really off with my best friend.

We were just on the phone vibing.

He was talking about this Discord server where everyone talks about trauma and love and pain.

He said they all seemed narcissistic because they only talk about themselves, and no one really listens.

He said he’s already past that, that he’s done the inner work and faced his fears.

That he’s healed or transcended or whatever.

This woman asked a serious question to her friend out of curiosity, but he didn’t take it well.

I was like, okay, that’s cool.

But I asked him how he knows when he’s actually doing it.

Like, how he sees it in real life when he faces fear.

While he was talking, I noticed he does the same thing he says others do.

The second something gets uncomfortable, he shuts down or says it’s annoying or that he doesn’t want to talk about it.

He snapped and said he didn’t want to talk about it.

So I said, if you’re really healed, then why do you always stop when it gets uncomfortable?

Why does it always turn into silence or anger?

I wasn’t even bringing up anything bad, just that pattern.

Instantly, he goes, “Stop, I don’t wanna talk about this.”

I said, “Why?” and then he started yelling, calling me names, told me to get out, and said I’m dumb and exhausting.

I just sat there quiet like, what the hell just happened?

She doesn’t get why he does the same thing over and over.

This isn’t the first time either. It’s like a loop.

Every time I say something that touches that spot, it’s the same thing.

Explosion, shut down, hate, then silence.

I’m not trying to act better than him or call him fake.

I just don’t get it.

Now, she’s wondering if she pushed too far.

He always says he’s past his fears.

But it feels like he’s scared of being seen for real.

So now, I’m sitting here thinking maybe I pushed too far.

Or maybe I’m just tired of pretending it’s fine.

Let’s read the responses of other people to this story.

This user shares their personal thoughts.

This person makes a valid point.

Here’s an honest opinion.

You pushed too far, says this one

Finally, this makes sense, too.

The truth hurts, but staying silent can hurt even more.

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