Dear Carolyn: I am introverted and have only a handful of friends who I have known for at least 10 years and a few for 20. I always thought we were very close.
During the worst of the pandemic, however, if I expressed even a smidgen of sadness or anger, several of them replied with: “Well, you need to see a counselor.”
I find this really hurtful. I have gone through a lot of painful life experiences with these friends, and they cannot muster a generic, “It will get better,” or something similar. Looking back, I see this is how they have been generally, but maybe I wasn’t focused on it.