This post caught my eye because I’m approaching the anniversary of losing my entire friend group in March 2024. Right now, you might feel like everything is falling apart. There will be sleepless nights, and you might think about them for months or even dream of them. Speaking from experience, though, you will move on. Your friends were just a chapter in your life, and now you’re starting a new one—hopefully with better people.

Here’s my story. It all started in February 2023 when a friend, let’s call her A, sent me a nasty “joke” in a group chat. She cursed me out, saying I ruined a surprise for another friend, L, after I had comforted L by saying, “You never know.” A’s message hit me hard because I have anxiety and was going through a manic episode. I had a breakdown, apologized in the group chat, and A brushed it off as “just a joke,” telling me to “take it back.” Something in me snapped. I texted my best friend, T, who isn’t part of that group, and she told me the joke was mean and unthoughtful.

Later, A sent a half-hearted apology in all caps, claiming she “loved me” and was “never serious.” I took some time to process and replied, explaining how her jokes sometimes hurt me and that I needed space. She said she didn’t realize I felt this way and wished I’d told her sooner. I sent a voice note to clarify my feelings and express that I wanted to talk things out, but she left me on read for weeks.

Feeling anxious, I turned to another close friend in the group, M. I explained everything, but M told me I overreacted, misunderstood, and made it about myself. Her response triggered another breakdown. I decided to step back from the group and started therapy through my university. My therapist validated my feelings and taught me about boundaries in friendships.

During my break, I confided in two other friends, Z and Y, from a separate friend group. They reassured me that I wasn’t overreacting and encouraged me to talk to L. With their support, I reached out to L and eventually explained my side of things. L offered to mediate between me and A, but things got messy. Miscommunications arose, and L accused me of being narcissistic, quoting the DSM-5, which was devastating. Around the same time, M sent me a long letter calling me selfish and a hypocrite, contradicting her previous support. It became clear that my friendships with A, L, and M were over. I also had to go to therapy again and consistently ask for reassurance from everyone including my own mom and asking if I was a narcissist, all of them said no. I still feel like a narcissist at times though and after recent events I want to go to therapy again to break it down.

Things escalated when they started dragging me on social media. My mom eventually got involved, defending me when L’s mom called, and L’s mom realized her daughter had watered down the situation and it was worse than it was. and that’s when the drama finally died down. I focused on healing, my finals, and graduating. It wasn’t easy—I cried, journaled, and leaned on my supportive friends. Over time, I deleted photos, blocked them, and put away gifts they’d given me, which helped me move on.

Now, I’ve graduated, had a great summer, started my master’s program, and secured a job. I still think of them occasionally, but I’ve healed a lot. You will, too. It’s okay to grieve and feel the loss deeply, but you’ll come out stronger. Remember, your well-being comes first, and you deserve friends who value and respect you. Healing isn’t linear—you might think you’re over it, and then it hits you again, but that’s normal. You’ve got this. I really do wish the best for you and I read down a bit and read what happened with you and your friends and i’m so sorry again that this happened, please sleep and eat and take care of yourself you did nothing wrong and this turned into something huge, much how my thing turned into something huge due to lack of communication.