Why does this keep happening?
I know I have issues with social anxiety and relationship anxiety and therefore tend to
@AbbyHarris1976
Reminded me of an article about two communication styles, the honest type versus the empathic type.
You always know where you stand with honest types, because the don't really have a filter - if they offend the people around them, that's just the way they are. Sometimes they can come across as abrasive, rude, or aggressive.
The empathic types tend to be more passive. They spend a lot more time thinking about how others will react to what they do or say. They tend to tell white lies, since they value the feelings of others over honesty. Often they just bottle up their own thoughts and emotions, and it's hard to get to know the real them.
Apparently the happiest people are able to blend the two. They are always open and honest, but they speak their truth in an empathic way - making sure their truth falls lightly on the people around them, rather than hit them over the head with it...
As for disappearing friends, it reminded me of https://www.bustle.com/articles/201271-8-surprising-signs-youre-a-negative-person-how-to-fix-the-problem "Trouble maintaining relationships of a friendly or romantic nature could be an indicator that you're more negative than you realize." ...unfortunately negativity is basically one of the symptoms of depression and anxiety. But maybe there's some comfort in knowing that making progress towards controlling depression / anxiety can help "magically" make more people start appearing in your life again...