Hello,
So I was working with someone for a few years and I sort of became a crutch for her, she was going through a lot of things in her life and struggled with even the smallest of things , I advised her to go to counselling as she really needed professional help and she did attend for a while but then stopped. I tried to help her as much as I can but to be honest it became very draining trying to deal with her mood swings and emotions whilst at work in a busy office , she was quite rude to other workers and clients and I felt I was always trying to explain her behaviour to other people and make excuses for her. She was always lovely to me but it was awkward when she would be so rude to others and I felt like I was on eggshells around her but felt so sorry for her. She is quite naive , sheltered and childish which is partially due to her upbringing and faith (I'm just saying it how it is, I am not judging her religion ).
It got to the stage where I dreaded going to work as she would always have a negative story and would text and call me constantly and I realised she was relying on me far too much and it was a one sided friendship. She started telling people I was her best friend and wanted to take a picture of us even though at this stage I was in my late 20s and this just felt like the behaviour of a girl in her teens and it just made me uncomfortable.
I left the job for other reasons and did stay in touch for a while but it soon confirmed we have nothing in common and she would just talk and moan about work and repeat stories even though I didn't work there anymore and quite frankly didn't want to listen to negative and repetitive chat about a workplace I had left, I tried changing the conversation to other things but it was painful . I was busy with other things in my life, quite stressful things but found I felt a sense of relief not having to talk or see her anymore and slowly stopped replying to her texts, my last text explained how busy I am and have a lot going on and hope she is well . I didn't hear anything back for months and felt relieved to be honest until she sent me an email. It was a pleasant email but it was repeating what she had said in her last message and I just don't want to engage in this anymore . We are very different and perhaps I made a mistake of being too supportive in a way .
She doesn't seem to have many other friends , any she has she is judgmental of and drops them so I feel she is focusing all her energy on me as I was there but I just can't continue being around someone so rude and childish but I feel terrible of course and I am aware I probably sound awful .
Just wondering should I just reply with a short message and hope she eventually gets the hint or what should I do?
Thank you .