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Friend hates me going to the gym

159 replies

PicnicBunny · 01/02/2022 14:03

What do you do when you make new friends and they just don’t ‘get you’.
I’m not working out to look better only. It’s a general lifestyle I’ve always been into fitness and play tennis and swim and run as part of ‘stuff I do’. Makes me so happy. I also don’t mind a lot of alone time.

But I get the same conversation every morning from my friend at the school gates - trying to take me to the coffee shop to chat.

Last year ( when we met) it went from both of us walking down to the gym and I’d say good bye to her there, or walking down the riverside, walking elsewhere…(with a coffee) because I was actually running in the evenings and playing tennis - and when I did some damage to my shoulder I did end up going to sit at the coffee shop, instead of going to the gym.
She LOVED this. Quite how much I had not realised.
But now, my shoulder has been fixed. I am back at the gym.
I understand we became close. She felt great. I usually felt like I’d wasted my day if I’d spent half the morning at a coffee shop, though still a little good that I had been there for her, and listened to her, helped her, advised her. She often said it’s like having a therapist / big sister.
I’ve advised her to actually book an appointment with a real therapist because she may need that for deeper rooted problems.

Since this January and my back and shoulder had been fixed, I’ve gone back to the gym. How to resume my old life?
Every morning she’s upset or trying hard to convince me I can go to the coffee shop first before the gym. I have not once caved. But she doesn’t know how pissed off I am by this constant manipulation.
She will send me pictures and messages of her having a coffee alone !
Also meeting up at other times does not seem to work…

I hate feeling guilty and selfish for not being there for someone. She enjoys my company and has taken it really hard and constantly comments that she feels dumped.

OP posts:
NoLongerTroels · 01/02/2022 14:24

Can't you meet for coffee in the thirty minutes before the school gets out, the way it isn't all morning and you still get to go to the gym. You have to do what makes you happy.

IncompleteSenten · 01/02/2022 14:26

Counter with a suggestion she comes to the gym with you.

TibetanTerrah · 01/02/2022 14:27

Invite her to the gym

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gamerchick · 01/02/2022 14:29

Take her to the gym. She's treating you as a therapist and at her disposal. You're not there to offload on or prop up her life on a daily basis.

Tell her she's being needy and it's off-putting. She can either come with you or you can meet her at another time for a coffee. Her choice.

Eviethyme · 01/02/2022 14:29

it may be that shes lonely? wants to spend time with you maybe and not actually anything to do with the gym

gamerchick · 01/02/2022 14:30

Actually taking her might be irritating unless it's a class. She'll just nag you to leave earlier than you want.

Aderyn21 · 01/02/2022 14:30

She's leaning on you way too much - you aren't her sister or her therapist. People like this suck the life out of you - they are completely immune to other peoples needs, so long as their own are met.
If you don't feel you can be blunt and tell her that the constant guilt tripping is not acceptable then you might have to start avoiding her and doing a breezy 'sorry, can't stop' in the mornings or get to school later.

Mouldyfeet · 01/02/2022 14:30

Oh god this would piss be off and I’d have to back away. How needy and childish

Aderyn21 · 01/02/2022 14:32

I wouldn't take her to the gym - on the face of it, it's a nice friendly thing to do but she'll disrupt your workout by talking all the time and sometimes you need something that's just for you.

PicnicBunny · 01/02/2022 14:32

I have said that too! Come and join me at the gym we’ll be there all day chatting. She’s lovely to chat to. (This is the problem)

It just becomes a 30 minute, which turns into two hours and two lattes. My discipline isn’t bad. But it’s rushed and I’m really all caffeinated up as much as I need to be before I run. I’ve spent time just standing chatting (but that time is now constantly trying to convince me I can’t keep this up !)
And then there will be days I won’t be able to. This is awful having a voice in my head, and physically there in front of me that is not supportive of my goals?

I supported her. Why can’t she support me. (By leaving me alone I know!)

OP posts:
PicnicBunny · 01/02/2022 14:36

@Aderyn21 yes, I thought so too. So I have not tried too hard. Asked her to come to a Pilates class this Friday. Let’s see if she will. Also, we probably won’t be chatting and running which is impossible to do.

OP posts:
FFSjustLTB · 01/02/2022 14:38

She'd be too needy and controlling for me.

P1ainJanine · 01/02/2022 14:40

Sounds like she's undermining your desire to keep fit and healthy becasue she wants a free councillor. That's pretty selfish, really.

I think, as other posters have suggested, invite her to the gym every time she tries to drag you to the coffee shop. Not to get her to go with you, but to derail her coffee shop agenda.

CloseYourEyesAndSee · 01/02/2022 14:42

Are you actually friends??

TopTabby · 01/02/2022 14:45

Could you arrange to meet her once a week at a time that suits you both? She might respond quite well to a set time & day.

WonderfulYou · 01/02/2022 14:47

Did you enjoy yourself?

If so then why not just meet up afterwards?

PicnicBunny · 01/02/2022 14:49

Ah so glad I posted here. It’s starting to depress me and talking about it to RL people… they’ve said that ‘there are real problems in the world’ !! I know this is petty. I know this is a small thing. But I feel like people do this to me. Build a life on my broken pieces. Yes I’m available because now I work from home or have done my shoulder in. Does not mean this should become the new normal and I become a babysitter and therapist whenever I’m needed.

I’m starting to feel resentful and it’s not her, but suddenly the floodgates to my doormatery and putting others first just all comes gushing back! Ffs. It’s just a coffee - but ( I don’t want to! And I’m losing respect for someone not listening to me)
I really don’t want to start regretting our friendship and I had explained that once evenings get lighter and I run in the evenings I’ll probably go easier at the gym. And we’ll have more time.

OP posts:
Devilmakes3 · 01/02/2022 14:50

I have had to become much less available to a friend of mine when I realised the friendship support was all going in one direction. For the first time in a long friendship I had issues to deal with and she was very judgmental and not really supportive when I needed it which I found really draining. I had to put in new boundaries, that might work for you too.

I now don’t answer texts or calls promptly anymore to cut back on opportunities for offloading. I meet up less frequently and if I don’t want to do something I just say “no that doesn’t suit me” and no further explanation, I don’t let her draw me into conversation on it. There is usually a passive aggressive comment or dig that accompanies a boundary but I look on that as being her issue and nothing to do with me.

I still like my friend a lot but like you, I realised I’m not a therapist nor a family member so I don’t have that level of responsibility towards her and that changed my mindset.

For me friendships offer joy and fun and common interests and similar beliefs and values as well as support all going in both directions. If those needs aren’t met for me I personally have to relook at my own boundaries. You might be in a similar place of having to consider are your needs being met in this friendship.

PicnicBunny · 01/02/2022 14:51

@CloseYourEyesAndSee mmmm are we? We used to be. What changed??!

OP posts:
TheOccupier · 01/02/2022 14:52

Can you drop the kids off earlier to avoid her? I'd be booking them into breakfast club Grin

Oldtiredfedup · 01/02/2022 14:54

She’s no friend

WonderfulYou · 01/02/2022 14:54

Also friendship is a two-way street though.

You can’t meet up with her just for something to do because you can’t go to gym for a couple of weeks.

If she starts feeling that you’re only interested in her when you’ve got nothing else to do then she’ll end the friendship.

PicnicBunny · 01/02/2022 14:55

@Devilmakes3 This is helpful. Thank you for sharing, understanding.

OP posts:
Laiste · 01/02/2022 14:56

I was a bit on the fence until you said about the sending pics of her ''all alone''.

Hmm

That's v manipulative.
She's not respecting your choices really is she?
If you enjoy her company could you pick a time one day a week to meet for an hour? Do a bit of arm's lengthing.

JesusInTheCabbageVan · 01/02/2022 14:57

This makes me think of a 'Girl on the Train' type novel.

'I would KILL for a coffee right now...'

Just a figure of speech, right? PicnicBunny's new friend LOVED going to the coffee shop with her. Quite how much, she had not realised. When PicnicBunny recovered from an injury and the visits tailed off, her friend became angry. How far would you go for a coffee? Find out in this explosive new thriller by the author of 'Massive Salad.'

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