Dear Prudence,
I am a 36-year-old man. I have struggled with mental health issues over my entire adult life. I have been hospitalized a few times due to my mental health. Over the last two years, I have been consistent with my medications, prioritizing my physical and mental health, and I’m doing well. Here is the issue.
My friends treat me like a child. I have a pretty large friend group: 11 people I’ve known for over a decade. I see them all the time, and I love them. But they all treat me like I don’t know how to be an adult. An example: I was complaining about a rude guy I ran into at the bar. I was in line, and he cut in front of me. I politely told him that the end of the line was much further down, and he said something rude and left. It was pretty tame, but I told my friends when I got back just to share. And the three of them I was with jumped into a weird “protective” mode. Which guy was it? Am I OK? Do I need them to do anything? How am I feeling? Do I need to leave? This happens all the time. They are all constantly treating me like I’m about to break. I admit, in the past, I might have either gotten into a fight with the rude guy or ruined my own night by dwelling on it until I broke down. But I haven’t been that person in two years, and I am doing well. I have the tools and access to the help I need from professionals if things start to get bad again. How do I stop my friends from treating me with kid gloves?