Everybody wants to be the friend who always shows up, but not as many people talk about what constantly showing up costs.

A student spent a week helping a struggling friend with the gym, his resumé, and getting back into schoolwork.

The friend had already lost other people who said he was weighing them down, so the student worked hard not to be next.

But beneath the surface, his own pay depended on the hours he worked, and those hours were starting to slip.

So when the friend asked for more time and a place to work before a big exam, the student finally said he needed his own space.

It didn’t take long for him to be hit with a massive wave of guilt.

Read on for the full story.

AITA for not wanting my depressed friend to use my accommodation as a study space?

My friend has been struggling with his mental health and hasn’t been working or keeping up with everything he needs to do.

He asked me to help him, and I did.

To his credit, he tried to do a lot for his friend.

Throughout last week, I spent time helping him get his life back in order, getting him into the gym, helping him with his CV, and getting back into schoolwork as well.

I genuinely care about him and want to support him, but I’m conflicted because I’m struggling myself.

Little does his friend know, he also has a lot going on in his own life.

I’m paying for my own school and working a contract job where I’m paid based on the hours I work. I’ve also been struggling to secure a lease, so I’ve been staying in short-term accommodation while trying to find something more permanent.

Part of him also knows his financial situation is quite different from his friend’s.

My friend’s circumstances are also different from mine. His parents cover his accommodation and school and give him an allowance. I know that doesn’t mean his depression isn’t real, but we are dealing with different circumstances.

And I’m constantly worried about trying to be financially stable.

His friend has burned quite a few bridges along the way.

He also lost his other friends because they said he was weighing them down. He told me that the more he opens up about his problems, the more people push him away.

Hearing that made me feel like I had an additional responsibility to not become another person who pushes him away just because he is struggling.

Now putting his friend’s needs first has started to weigh on him.

But since then, I fell behind on my work, and because I’m paid based on hours worked, I’m now spending this week trying to catch up those hours from last week so I can get paid, and it’s already the 2nd.

So then his friend came to him with yet another request.

He called me last night telling me he needs another four days because his exam is due then and he feels unmotivated to work.

Initially, he wanted to essentially stay at my place, including sleeping on my couch and working late.

Finally, the student started to put his foot down.

I told him I needed my own space, and he asked to just use the study spaces, and I agreed.

Idk, even if he’s only using the study space, I still feel like I need some time where my accommodation is completely mine and nobody needs anything from me so I can get my life on track.

The whole request just rubbed him the wrong way.

I also felt weird when he saw my accommodation and said I was “very lucky” because of how much I get paid for work and that I work remotely.

I know he probably didn’t mean it badly, but it bothered me because it felt like he was seeing the outcome without acknowledging that I did work hard to get to where I am.

AITA for needing my own space to get myself together even though my friend is struggling and needs my support right now?

These two friends definitely aren’t on the same page.

What did Reddit have to say?

There’s no use pouring from an empty cup.

This commenter provides a potential script.

This commenter shares another fitting analogy.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this postabout a man who thought he was staying with his brother for a month in his 1-bedroom Tokyo apartment, then got hit with a list of local hotels.

This whole thing is probably better left to the professionals.

This student gave a struggling friend a full week of his time, and the first time he asked for space, he felt like he’d committed a crime.

At a certain point, he needs to put his own livelihood first, especially when his paycheck depends on the hours he works.

His friend’s situation is hard, but so is his.

You can’t pour from an empty cup, and he’s down to the last drop.