This article is based on an expert interview with Kelli Miller, LCSW, MSW, conducted by wikiHow Staff Editors. Kelli Miller is a Psychotherapist based in Los Angeles, California. Kelli specializes in individual and couples therapy focusing on relationships, depression, anxiety, sexuality, communication, parenting, and more. Kelli also facilitates groups for those struggling with alcohol and drug addiction as well as anger management groups. She is the author of “Professor Kelli’s Guide to Finding a Husband” and the award-winning and best-selling book “Thriving with ADHD”. Kelli co-hosted an advice show on LA Talk Radio and is a relationship expert for The Examiner. She received her MSW (Masters of Social Work) from the University of Pennsylvania and a BA in Sociology/Health from the University of Florida.
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It’s easy to feel stuck in a friendship that no longer works for you. We often feel obligated to stay friends with someone just because we’ve been friends with them for so long. While it can be hard to change or end the relationship, it is possible. In this video, Licensed Clinical Social Worker Kelli Miller teaches you how to identify why you feel stuck in a friendship and what your needs are so that you can free yourself from any relationships that no longer work for you.
Key Takeaways
- Try to pinpoint why exactly you feel stuck or unhappy in your friendship.
- Don’t feel obligated to stay in a friendship if your needs aren’t being met.
- Sometimes friendships change and fade, and that’s okay.
Video Transcript
Try to figure out exactly why you feel stuck in the friendship. Do you feel like this person's talking too much? Do they put you down? Do they have trouble listening to you? It's easier if you pinpoint it. Even if it's just an overall negative energy surrounding the friendship, evaluate, “Am I getting my needs met in this friendship?” We often feel this obligation to become friends with somebody because we've been friends with them. But it's okay to recognize that your friendship met your needs for a little while, but it no longer does. That's natural. And that's human.
