Have I been an awful friend?

[ChaChaRealSmooth]

I have a friend, I’ll call him Derek. I’ve been friends with Derek for close to 15 years but it’s a long distance friendship so now only consists of texting and sending birthday cards, Christmas cards etc.

For a bit of back story, Derek has always been full on, if you don’t respond he texts again, his conversations are all focused on him and he often used me to vent to. I’ve always allowed it as I felt bad that he doesn’t really have any other friends. In the past year I’ve had to start putting boundaries in place for my own mental health as I felt like I was a battering ram for his emotions.

I’ve attached our latest text conversation, he is grey and I’m green. He blocked me at the end of this and I haven’t reached out at all since.

was I an awful friend? So as not to drip feed I am autistic and I’m really struggling to gauge this. My OH says i was firm but polite.

@WhiteStripePipe

I think setting the boundary was fine but how she did it less so. Just the actual wording.

However, OP has now clarified that this came after a stream of similar posts, which is different again - I think I'd have given a brief non-answer & left it.

I also think the friendship has run its course & is pointless so now that he has blocked her, I'd leave at that & even if he comes back, I just wouldn't engage.

There is no need to be kind to someone who is disrespecting your boundaries and won't leave you alone until he gets what he wants.

He will not be worrying about whether he was kind to you.