Are Your Friends Causing You Stress And Sleepless Nights?

What do you do when your friends are the ones causing you undue stress and sleepless nights?

- Mimi Tiu

Most of my early teenage life involved navigating through the unclear terrain of friendship. There was no manual that I could read, no expert I could confide in. My problems all started when my childhood best friend ditched me (she claimed I was too clingy) and I was thrust into a new section with no BFF to call my own. I tried to play it cool as I searched for a new circle to join, eyeing prospective barkadas from afar with sad eyes that secretly screamed, “please take me. I’m so alone.” I didn’t want to appear desperate, so I sat on the sidelines and waited to be invited to join a new crew.

When I miraculously found a kooky bunch that took me in wholeheartedly, I thought my prayers were finally answered. But who was I kidding? A big barkada was a totally different monster complete with smaller sub-groups, assigned tandems, and unspoken rules that had me scratching my head. It’s a mystery how I successfully survived its complex dynamics, and how we resolved our issues as a group with hardly any hair pulling or screaming matches.

Now you may be here reading this to seek advice related to your inner circle woes, or simply because you have nothing better to do. Either way, you’ve come to the right place! You might discover that you unknowingly encountered one, two, or all of these issues. To be clear though, I’m not claiming to be a relationship expert. These are straight-up, no-holds barred opinions culled from my own experiences. Now let’s dive in…

How do I deal with a clingy BFF?