Drama within a group of friends is very unpleasant. It costs you a lot of energy and perhaps also stress. Dealing with this is difficult. Here are our top tips for resolving drama within your friend group.
Listen to all perspectives
When there is drama within the group of friends, you will always get the story. You hear it from the parties involved themselves or from other people in the group of friends. Before you can form a complete opinion about the situation, it is important to hear all perspectives. So talk to everyone involved and listen to their story with a critical ear. This is not to say that you cannot show empathy or that you should be critical of them. But be aware that people involved in the situation are likely to share their stories with a lot of emotion. This allows facts to be conveyed slightly differently than they actually are.
Only choose a side if you fully support it
Sometimes it is better to remain neutral during these types of situations. This way you stay drama-free. But there may also be situations in which you want to choose a side. You have heard the stories and now think that someone is at fault. That is possible, but be careful with this. Choosing a side can cause division within the group of friends. So don’t speak too strongly about this right away. Be honest, but avoid making it come across as baiting.
Distance yourself from the drama whenever possible
In other cases, it is better to completely distance yourself from the situation. This could be because you are close to both parties and you do not want to risk your friendships with them. It’s also completely okay to distance yourself because you don’t want to waste energy on other people’s drama. Just because it happens within your group of friends doesn’t mean everyone is automatically involved.
Be honest with the entire group of friends
If people within your group of friends want to talk to you about the drama, be honest. Tell us who you have spoken to and who you have not yet, and also indicate exactly how much you know about the situation. This gives others a complete picture of your perspective. This way you prevent yourself from unknowingly causing conflict between people. Also indicate your intentions when you talk to someone about the situation. This could be, for example, to understand the other person’s perspective or because you want to complain about it. It’s all okay as long as you’re honest about it. Also indicate your limits where necessary. It makes sense if you don’t want to talk about it all the time.
