The Glow Girl's Guide to... Handling Friendship Situationships!

“Situationships” are something you often hear about when people are discussing romantic relationships. It means to be in a “situation” with no formal commitment, meaning you’re just kind of going with the flow. It’s like you have an unofficial significant other, but if he/she were to start dating someone else, you can’t really get mad because you two have no defined boundaries. Unfortunately, a lot of people are in friendship “situationships,” as well.

The same rules above apply, but you’re not in a romantic relationship: you’re in a situation where someone is kind of your friend out of default of obligation and it’s just sometimes really uncomfortable.

Are you in a friendship “situationship” and you don’t know it? Do you need to decode and understand your status to see if you need to make some changes to your friendships?

Below are 3 easy ways to tell if you’re in a friendship “situationship.” No matter the outcome, check yourself as to why you don’t feel comfortable and adjust accordingly as to whether you should keep this friend or move on.

You’re in a “situationship” if: You feel obligated to invite he/she out when you’re with a specific group of people. Look, group chats are life, but sometimes they’re a hindrance, too. If you’re hanging out with specific people in the chat, and someone from the chat isn’t invited it can definitely become awkward, especially if it’s displayed on social media.

Sometimes you have to invite certain people around in a group setting, even if you don’t want to, because you don’t want to cause drama. If you notice you’re not wanting to invite the same person over and over because they bring your energy down or just don’t mesh well with others, you may be in a friendship “situationship.”
You’re in a “situationship” if: said friend is always only concerned about his/her feelings and is always only talking about themselves. We all have things going on in our lives that we need to vent about; however, if you find yourself just always on the receiving end of someone’s conversation, you may be in a “situationship.”

Friendships should be a give and take, and nothing is worse than someone just dumping all their stuff on you without even asking you how you’re doing.
You’re in a “situationship” if: they only hit you up when they need/want something. Hanging out with your friends is a blast, but if they’re only trying to connect with you when the parties are happening or they are in need of something you can give them, you may want to check your status. It’s fine to want to celebrate with your friends or sometimes go to them for advice and resources, but if they only seem to come around during the highs or with a hand out… you might need to check out.