Venting to friends does it work?

[Ravenfreak]

Have you ever felt super overwhelmed with life and you were under so much stress that you vented to a friend? Did your friend listen to your struggles and if they did are you still close friends with them or did you end up losing friendships over this? Do you believe that venting to your friends about your mental health is a positive way to express how you feel or does it ruin a friendship? I never vented to my friends but I've had friends vent to me.

 

[Hazel]

Venting to friends isn’t inherently bad. In many cases, it actually helps people feel lighter and more understood, and it can bring friends closer when there’s trust on both sides.
The issue usually starts when there’s no balance. If one person is always unloading stress without checking in on the other person’s capacity, it can start to feel heavy or one-sided. On the other hand, never talking about what you’re going through can also create distance.

 

[Shortie]

I have had this happen many times, where I have let so much get to me that the only way I felt I could deal with it would be to vent to a friend or even my other half.

My biggest issue, though, is that I feel bad about venting to a friend or even my other half, as I know they go through things as well, even though they tell me it is fine and that is what they are there for.