I love and hate my friend
I have a friend I care about, but I’m starting to feel exhausted by the friendship.
We’re both in our late 20s. This friend is fun, loyal, and means well, but working on group creative projects together has become stressful.
The issue is that once their part is handled, they still keep pulling attention back to it. I’ll need to move on to someone else’s part so the whole project can come together, but they get anxious and push me to keep managing their section. Even when they know other people’s contributions still need time and attention, I end up being pressured to reassure them, adjust around them, or deal with their stress.
This has happened outside projects too. Once, I gave practical advice about handling an adult responsibility, and they started crying. Since then, I feel like normal problem-solving conversations can quickly turn into emotional management.
Some people in our friend group have said this friend has “main character syndrome.” I don’t know if that label is fair, but I do feel like a lot of situations end up revolving around their anxiety, their needs, or their need for reassurance.
I don’t hate this person. I care about them. But I’m tired of feeling pulled away from everyone else’s needs to manage one person’s feelings.
How do I set a boundary here without making the whole thing explode?