Pexels/Reddit

There’s a reason professional therapists have office hours.

One college student found herself constantly on call for a friend who dumped his stress about work, school, and relationships on her, and she was drained.

When she finally told him she needed to step back because of her own work and school, he took it badly, and then took his distaste to the group chat. Instead of hearing her out, he told their friends that he makes everyone mad, painting her as the one who’d hurt him.

Now half of her friends are telling her she should have kept quiet and just let him vent. All she wanted was a little room to breathe, and she’s wondering how that turned her into the villain.

Keep reading for the full story.

AITA for telling my sensitive friend that he is bothering me?

I, 20F, have a group chat with my friends from high school, and we hang out when we are free.

Her friends depend on her a lot for their emotional well-being.

One of my closest friends, who is 21M, calls me his “therapist” and vents to me about almost everything that goes on in his life.

Whether it’s stress from work, college, or his dating life.

We usually talk at night, and he stays up later than I do, so after a long conversation, I am usually tired halfway through.

Her friend tends to take things to heart.

He has told me that he is very sensitive. He is very anti-social and feels as if he’s bothering or annoying someone all the time.

I texted him that I couldn’t listen anymore due to work and college. He responded, “I’m such a bad friend, I mess everything up. I am so sorry.”

At first, she was fine with it, but then she started losing patience.

I shook it off, and it kept happening. He had also started asking me to give him the answers to assignments.

I texted him again, being very serious this time, and said throughout the paragraph I’m not mad at him.

He responded, “Okay, I’ll work on those things.” I told him, “Thank you,” and I thought we were fine.

Then her friend started making drama with the rest of her social circle.

A few days after, my friend told me that right after I had sent that message to him, he was already telling the rest of our group what I had said, and saying, “I feel like I make everyone mad.”

Half of my friends and all my family are on my side, but some of my friends say that he is just sensitive and needs someone to talk to, and I should have just stayed silent.

AITA?

This is a tough one.

Redditors chime in with their thoughts.

Being there for your friends is one thing, but feeling like an unpaid therapist is another.

Never Miss a Story

Sign up to get our BEST stories of the week straight to your inbox.

Colleges often have many mental health resources for students.

Some things are better left to the professionals.

This commenter shares their take.

This woman gave her friend months of late nights and free therapy, and the first time she asked for a little room, she got cast as the bad guy.

Telling him she couldn’t keep listening was a reasonable, kind request from someone juggling more than enough stress.

Being sensitive is real, but it doesn’t make anyone else responsible for being available at all hours, and it doesn’t excuse guilt for unfairly tripping someone.

Some boundaries cost more than they should.

Add TwistedSifter to your Google News Add us as a preferred source on Google

Author

Benjamin Cottrell

Benjamin Cottrell | Assistant Editor, Internet Culture

Benjamin Cottrell is an Assistant Editor and contributing writer at TwistedSifter, specializing in internet culture, viral social dynamics, and the moral complexities of online communities. He brings a highly analytical, editorial voice to his reporting on workplace conflicts, malicious compliance, and interpersonal drama, with a specific focus on nuanced stories that lack an obvious villain.

As a published author of rhetorical criticism, Benjamin leverages his academic background in human communication to dissect and elevate viral social media threads. Instead of simply summarizing events, he provides readers with balanced, deep-dive commentary into why the internet reacts the way it does. In addition to his cultural reporting, he is an experienced fine art photography essayist and video game reviewer.

When he isn’t analyzing the latest viral debates, Benjamin is usually chipping away at his extensive video game backlog, hunting down the best new restaurants, or out exploring the city with a camera in hand.

Connect with Benjamin on Instagram and read more of his essays on Substack.