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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To ask how I can help my good friend/colleague with this?

3 replies

Angryvindictivewasps · 02/02/2025 19:17

I overthink myself, but this seems to happen a lot for my friend and I'm not sure if it's some sort of anxiety?
She will often worry about interactions after they've happened and whether she said the right thing or made a fool of herself.
At lunch someone might come along to our table to chat and then after they've gone she'll ask me 'Did I sound ok there? Did I say anything stupid?' She doesn't sound stupid at all and I always do my best to reassure her.
We're on a group WhatsApp with some other colleagues and she made a comment that someone lightly mocked. For the next hour she seemed embarrassed about it and asked me if she'd said something cringy.

We went for a coffee and it was a bit slippy outside so she warned the elderly woman coming out, which was nice of her.
Then she said to me 'I hope I wasn't overstepping there, do you think I was?'

I always try my best to reassure her. I can overthink too and can be slightly anxious but sometimes I worry about her and I'm starting to recently. She seems happy in her marriage and I know she's slightly unhappy at work but she says she's always been like this.

Is there anything else I can do other than keep reassuring her? She has a jokey nature, not offensive but then after she'll ruminate about jokes and decide they were too cringy. She's mid 40s. Just getting a little worried about her.

OP posts:
notanormalday · 02/02/2025 19:26

Nothing you say to her will make her feel better. I'm literally the same as your friend. I over think things and it can last for days. I feel guilty if I think what I was saying didn't make sense to the other person or they disnt react to how I thought they would. For eg; a patient called on Friday and she said sorry for messing you around and having to call 3 times, I bet you're sick of me. My reply back was no not at all, I'd prefer to speak to someone like you who is no problem than being shouted at and her reply was "oh" so I completely over thought it for the rest of the day. Thinking she took it wrong.

It's painful honestly. I would mention to her how she questions everything and why that is?

PalePurplePumpkin · 02/02/2025 19:31

Oh gosh I find people like this absolutely exhausting and tend to steer clear of them.

I know I'm probably being unfair, but I find that sort of person very 'me, me, me' if you get what I mean.

It's like not only to they want to micro-examine every interaction they have with people, but they want me to do it too which is even more attention-seeking.

I'm afraid I'd grey rock every time she turned something into all about her and just reply with 'You were fine', if I replied at all.

MammaTo · 02/02/2025 20:21

To be honest you’ve got the patience of a saint to be friends with someone like this in the first place, I think that’s enough.

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