Dear Christine,
PLEASE HEAR ME out on this one, as I am sure many others out there have similar issues with their “friends”.
I have this female friend who is a non-stop talker. She constantly talks about herself and does so even when she is eating. She is so insensitive and rude that she won’t even let a person finish a sentence. At social gatherings, mutual friends will shift their seating positions because of her constant yapping and complaining. She can easily get an A+ for complaining. Some of our mutual friends are now refusing to be in her company.
We sometimes laugh and say she is the only one “in the group” who can carry on a conversation with herself. In fact, she thinks her opinions are always more important and significant than those of others. In reality, she is talkative and boring.
How can I get her to shut up, see things from a perspective other than her own and be more mannerly when it comes to eating?
– R.H.
Dear R.H.,
Your friend needs to be a good listener and you may have to have a one-on-one, honest discussion with her, without “shooting her down”.
It is obvious that she appears self-centred, insecure and highly opinionated. There may be reasons for this.
However, if you need to avoid stressful environments, being with this individual will not help you in any way.
In addition, since you are the one who raised the matter, you need also to be the one who will be willing to bring it to her attention. Your only other choice will be to politely absent yourself from these “social gatherings” without causing friction between you, your friend and other members of your social group.
– CHRISTINE
