friendly fade
A passive-aggressive method to ‘break up’ with a friend without being hurtful. Similar to ghosting, this method is NOT an abrupt process and can apply to just about anyone. Care should be taken when choosing this strategy:
• Take longer and longer intervals to return phone calls, text messages, etc.. and avoid making commitments. For ex: take a week to return a voicemail or a few days for a text. As the weeks go by, the lag between all communications gradually increases.
• Never answer the phone if you see that person’s number on your caller ID. Wait at least a week to return the message (unless it’s an emergency), preferably via text.
• Avoid face-to-face meetings (like coffee or lunch) and make excuses to skip activities you both enjoyed previously (like going to the movies).
The goal is to gently un-friend that person at a kind and gingerly pace. It can be a very effective method for those averse to conflict or part of tightly knit groups. Over time, your feelings may change, and you may want to rekindle the friendship. With this method, you haven’t burned all your bridges.
After years of being told by her best friend that she needed to lose weight, Lizzie decided to do the friendly fade. She started by avoiding her phone calls, not replying right away to her texts, and making her invisible on her Facebook timeline.