I think I’ve outgrown my best friend and I feel guilty
Hey everyone, I don’t usually post things like this, but I’m curious how others handle situations like this.
I’m in my 30s, and something about getting older has really changed how I view relationships. I feel like I’m becoming more aware of what I do and don’t want to tolerate, and I care less about forcing things that don’t feel right anymore.
So here’s my situation. I’m someone who cuts people off easily—but it usually takes a lot for me to even get to that point. I have a long-term friend I’ve known since childhood, and over time I’ve started to feel like I’ve outgrown the friendship.
Lately, she can come across as very judgmental and often gives advice in a way that feels more like criticism or trying to correct me, which I don’t respond well to. I’ve mentioned how I felt before, but nothing really changed.
We had a small disagreement recently, and I realized I’ve already been emotionally pulling away for a while. At this point, I feel pretty drained and don’t really feel like having another conversation about it. I just feel like I may be done.
The hard part is I feel guilty because of how long we’ve known each other, and I know she’s sensitive.
For people who’ve been through something similar—how did you handle outgrowing a long-term friendship, and did you end up stepping back or having a direct conversation?