Feeling Left Out
You feel excluded from your friend group because they often make plans without asking you. You overheard them talking about a weekend outing that you were not invited to. How do you confront them without making things awkward?
Be honest, tell them how it made you feel, ask them why you weren't included
You recently confided in a friend about a personal issue, but the next day, you hear other people talking about it. You feel betrayed and are unsure whether to trust this friend with anything personal again. How should you approach this issue?
Ask them about it, tell them how it made you feel, ask them to respect that it will take time to rebuild your trust
You misunderstood a comment that a friend made about you, and now you're upset. You are wondering if she should talk to your friend about it or just let it go. You're unsure if you're overreacting or if the comment was intended to be hurtful.
If it is something you want to let go, do that, if not, calmly bring it up with them and ask what they meant, explain what you thought they meant and how that made you feel
Your friends often encourage you to skip school or break minor rules for fun. You know that you shouldn’t do it, but you feel pressured because you don't want to be left out or seen as uncool. You are torn between staying true to yourself and wanting to fit in with your friends. What should you do?
Express that you are uncomfortable, ask them to respect your decision and not to pressure you
You and your best friend have been friends for a while, but recently you notice that your friendship has been feeling unbalanced. You feel like you are always the one reaching out to make plans, while your friend never takes the initiative. You wonder if your friend values the friendship as much as you do. How could you approach this?
Explain that you are feeling frustrated and unappreciated, communicate openly but calmly, tell them that you would appreciate if they took initiative more to show that they care about your friendship
Your friend has been spending more time with someone else, and you feel like you’re being ignored. This is causing tension between you both. How can you address this with them?
Be honest and tell them how you feel, explain that you miss spending time with them
Your friends ask you about someone else's personal life and are trying to get you to spill information, but you know it’s not your place to share. What should you do?
Be honest and tell them that you are not comfortable talking about other people behind their back. Use perspective taking- you would not like if I told someone else something private about you
You and a friend have been close for a long time, but recently, you’ve been getting into arguments because of small miscommunications. You feel like your friend isn’t listening to you, while your friend thinks you are being too sensitive. How could you fix the situation?
Calmly and respectfully talk it out, take turns listening to one another, be specific about what is bothering you
Your friend keeps making jokes about personal topics you’re not comfortable with, and you’re not sure how to ask them to stop.
Tell them that you don't find the jokes funny, ask them to respect you and your boundries
Two people in your friend group, Jade and Claire, had a falling out after a disagreement. Some of your mutual friends are picking sides, and it’s creating tension in the group. Jade feels hurt that her other friends aren’t sticking up for her, while Claire feels like the others are being unfair to her. The group dynamic is becoming awkward. How could you approach this?
Stay neutral, don’t pick sides, talk to both friends privately, encourage them to work things out, explain that you want there to be peace and work things out
You’re invited to a party, but you find out that everyone has been hanging out without you before the event. You feel like you're the last one to know and don’t know how to approach the situation.
Calmly approach the person who is hosting the party and ask why you were told to come later than everyone else. It could be a misunderstanding or miscommunication
You overhear a conversation where someone is talking badly about your friend. You’re unsure if you should intervene or keep quiet.
Depending on the situation, you may want to approach the person who was talking badly later and ask them about it. You could also tell the friend who was being spoken badly about and offer to help them approach the person.
You make a comment that you think is funny, but your friend doesn’t laugh and seems upset. You didn’t mean to offend them, but you’re not sure how to fix it.
Approach them later and ask if everything is okay, tell them your intent was never to offend them, apologize, reassure them that you will think about your jokes before saying them
Your friend keeps borrowing your things without asking, even though you’ve mentioned that it bothers you. You want to set clear boundaries but don’t want to hurt their feelings.
Calmly approach them, explain that these belongings are important to you and that you are not comfortable with them taking things without permission, offer that if they ask first, they can borrow your things, ask them to respect your decision
You and a friend keep disagreeing on little things, and it’s starting to affect your relationship. Neither of you wants to back down.
Hear one another out, it could be miscommunications, if it continues suggest taking space from one another, ask to respect the decision