It’s easy to say sharing is caring, but what happens when you’re asked to share the very thing that’s keeping you afloat?

One anxious student let her friend borrow her beloved stress toy, but when she refused to give it back, she was left without support when she really needed it.

Soon, the conversation about kindness soon turned into one about personal limits.

Read on for the full story.

AITA for not wanting to share my stress toy with my friends?

Due to anxiety and stress, my mum got me this needoh to help. So every time I get stressed or nervous, I use it to relax me.

Soon this caught the attention of a friend.

A friend of mine caught me playing with it and asked if they could borrow it. I don’t mind sharing stuff with my friends, so of course I said yes.

But the student soon came to regret this decision.

The problem is, one of my other friends tends to use it for a large amount of time in school. Whenever I ask for it back, she usually begs to keep it longer or gives it back just to ask for it again.

I love my friend, but this really irritated me.

She worries she won’t be able to access her needoh when she really needs it.

I could be in an overwhelming situation where I need something to fidget with to help me relax, but I can’t even use it due to my friends asking for it all the time.

I’ve had previous situations where I’ve gotten so overwhelmed to the point I scratch myself—not enough to cause scars—but my needoh definitely helps.

At the same time, she wants to be a good friend.

The thing is, they’re my friends and they share things with me, so I don’t want to be rude and just tell them that they can’t use it. I feel selfish for it.

AITA? Sharing is caring, but does it still count if you’re sharing your stress toy?

Her friend definitely doesn’t seem like she has her best interests at heart.

What did Reddit make of all this?

This isn’t a toy, so it shouldn’t be treated as such.

She could always use her mom as an excuse to get out of it.

There’s definitely more than enough compelling reasons to not share this item.

Parents are more than willing to be the “bad guys” when it comes to protecting their kids.

At the end of the day, her friend should have recognized just how much this meant to her.

Sometimes self-care means standing your ground, even when it’s hard.

If you liked this post, check out this story about an employee who got revenge on a co-worker who kept grading their work suspiciously low.