5 Things Worth Admitting To

You’re Tired of Hearing About It

Life is too short to listen to people talk about the same problems over and over again. I have a friend who is often in victim mode. If she calls me to rant at the end of a long day, I’ll say to her, “I love you, but I can listen for only three minutes and then I have to go.” I’m not cruel. I’ll say it in a lighthearted way. That helps soften the blow. Friends have to be honest with each other to have emotionally healthy relationships. Otherwise we would all be screening every call, and that’s not how I want to live.

Judith Orloff is a psychiatrist and the author of Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself From Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life.