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A True Friend Should Never Make You Feel “Less Than”

I have no reason to feel “less than,” yet I do.

Carol Labuzzetta, MS
4 min readJan 9, 2023
Sepia toned photo of a woman in despair leaning against a table with the chair pushed away.
Image by Perlinator from Pixabay

I advised someone (a friend) about six months ago that they should stay away from someone, another “supposed friend,” who was making them feel crappy by questioning their life and choices (none of which were detrimental).

Most people do this inadvertently, I assume, but if it’s happening to you, I sympathize. I find myself having to take some of my own advice right now. No real friend should ever make you feel “less than”! You should not feel less than them, less than good enough, less than in social circles, less than in how you chose to live your life or less than in the way you spend your time.

It’s like having imposter syndrome only part of the time, only with certain people.

Questioning someone’s actions when they differ from yours is a way of making someway feel “less than.” Questioning choices, offering opinions when not asked, and flipping the conversation back to them, are all ways one can be made to feel “less than.”

I have no reason to feel less than others. I have two graduate degrees, I have three wonderful sons, a loving husband who is talented in his own right, and loads of community volunteer service. I am also probably one of the most productive and driven…

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Carol Labuzzetta, MS
Carol Labuzzetta, MS

Written by Carol Labuzzetta, MS

I write about the environment, education, nature, and travel. Having two master's degrees, in nursing and environmental education, I am a teacher at heart.

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