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Cancelling Plans Doesn't Mean Cancelling Friendship: 3 Tips for Navigating Changes in Plans

Updated: Jun 7, 2023



Transcript

Making plans when you feel good is easy.

What’s not so easy is having to cancel them.


Sometimes we make plans for a future date with all the right intentions, but when it rolls around, we are not feeling up for it anymore.


If we are the friend who gets cancelled on at the last minute, it’s important to have empathy.


If we are the friend who needs to cancel, here are some tips on how you can do that, whilst still keeping your friendship in tact!


  • If you are comfortable explaining some of the emotions you are experiencing, that can really help your friend to understand what you are going through. Are you feeling a little run-down and need an early night? Are you feeling overwhelmed by work and need some time to get back on track? Are you feeling sad and don’t want to dress up and go out?

  • If you know ahead of time, give notice! If you wake up with a sore throat on Thursday and have plans on the Friday, it’s okay to give your friend the heads up that you might need to change plans. It’s always nice when friends keep me in the loop so that we can adjust plans if we need!

  • Make an effort to re-organise plans once you are feeling up to it. This is just my opinion, but I feel like if you have cancelled plans, then you should be the one to suggest the next catch up. It shows your friend that you do want to see them!


So you’ve cancelled your plans, you feel instant relief…. But now what.


Give yourself what your body / mind needs.

Your mental health is important, and cant be fixed with a ‘self care day’, but now that you have some time back use it wisely! Use that time to lean into what you need to start feeling good again.


No matter how reliable we are, at some stage in our life we will have to cancel plans.

Do it with love - for your friend & yourself!


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6 Comments


hallkirrily
hallkirrily
May 10, 2023

I would much prefer someone cancel on me ahead of time rather than run late and have me waiting around for 40-60 mins


Idk if it’s the fire sign in me but I’ve always been one to just say “hey thanks for the invite but I just don’t want to” .


I think people are more forgiving when you give them plenty of notice coz they have the option to, pick up a shift at work, catch up with another friend or even just have a lazy day at home.

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hallkirrily
hallkirrily
May 11, 2023
Replying to

The way I’ve gotten in the habit of telling one of my friends we’re meeting 30 mins before we actually are coz 9/10 time even if she is late we get there around the same time 🫠

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Anuja Sriravi
Anuja Sriravi
May 10, 2023

This is so interesting I agree more people need to be understanding I know that recently with Taurus season some of my so to be friends have been fired up and started attacking me thinking I was picking someone else over them 😒 it’s hard canceling last min😞

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Anuja Sriravi
Anuja Sriravi
May 12, 2023
Replying to

YEPP

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