Esther Perel Instagram – In my workshop last month, I was asked a very common question — how do I handle unrequited attraction in a friendship? And it’s a question for which there is no simple answer.
In fact, it prompts a host of qualifying questions: how deep is this attraction? Is it a nagging curiosity or a strong unyielding love? Are one or both of you in a relationship?
But the question I’ll focus on is this: how is the attraction affecting the friendship and each person individually?
If the ongoing platonic nature of the friendship feels like a daily rejection, affecting a person’s feeling of self-worth, then it could be too harmful to stay connected. Attraction can also impact the very foundation of a friendship, coloring how each person shows up, how much they give, the slant to their dating advice. It could be that a hidden agenda or an imbalance of power begins to destabilize the sanctity of the friendship.
So, while there are no hard and fast rules in this type of connection, these are all questions and qualities to be aware of when attraction comes into the friendship arena. To explore the topic further, visit last month’s workshop on the complexities of making new friends as an adult. | Posted on 24/Jun/2023 01:13:07



