Is it ok to readd Facebook friends after 6 months?

Been depressed for quite a while. No one knows. Anyway, got to a point where I deleted a whole heap of Facebook friends. Went down from over a 1000 to 39 friends. Some of them sent me friend requests after I deleted them and I declined them all. Didn't want to talk to anyone.

Been over 6 months now. Would it be ok if I add them back?

Also, I've had a couple of crushes that I haven't really gotten over. One from 4 years ago, and from 2 years ago. They know I liked them at the time. Can I add them too, or should I not?

Thanks.

I would just add the essential ones since your choice to delete them doesn't really make sense as far as being depressed - you can have "friends" on Facebook and have no contact with any of them -it's a website - no one is calling you or showing up at your door, etc. The good friends will understand and if asked for an explanation just say you weren't in the best place. I would not add back the crushes.

I would just add the essential ones since your choice to delete them doesn't really make sense as far as being depressed

I felt lonely and felt like being more lonely so I unfriended everyone. Hard to explain haha.

Only have friends on fb that you truly want. There's no reason to add anyone else, certainly not a crush.

I felt lonely and felt like being more lonely so I unfriended everyone. Hard to explain haha.

Right. So you made a choice to potentially hurt others' feelings because you felt like being more lonely and thought that not seeing people on a friends list would help that. As someone who has been unfriended (although not by anyone close to me -and only once) it can be offensive and feel rude. It's not hard to explain what you did -it was out of self-interest without regard to the others' feelings. That is why you need to add back only close friends and apologize for doing that. If they are close they likely will forgive you.

So you made a choice to potentially hurt others' feelings because you felt like being more lonely and thought that not seeing people on a friends list would help that. It was out of self-interest without regard to the others' feelings.

I thought punishing myself by losing all my friends would make me feel better.

I thought punishing myself by losing all my friends would make me feel better.

Right. It's all about you. Your choice punished them too.You could have told them the truth at that time and instead you went MIA. A childhood friend did that to me for a few months -didn't get in touch and I was worried and also a bit hurt. Turns out she just didn't feel like talking to anyone during that time and was depressed about her job, etc. But she didn't clue me in in advance leaving me to worry and feel hurt. Our friendship has never been the same after that because I am wary about getting too close - I don't want to have her suddenly go MIA without explanation because it's hurtful and worrisome and unfair to me.

It's fine to choose to deprive yourself like that if it affects only you, of course. It didn't and you know that. I am glad you're feeling better. Depression is very hard as I know vicariously.

Right. It's all about you. Your choice punished them too.You could have told them the truth at that time and instead you went MIA. A childhood friend did that to me for a few months -didn't get in touch and I was worried and also a bit hurt. Turns out she just didn't feel like talking to anyone during that time and was depressed about her job, etc. But she didn't clue me in in advance leaving me to worry and feel hurt. Our friendship has never been the same after that because I am wary about getting too close - I don't want to have her suddenly go MIA without explanation because it's hurtful and worrisome and unfair to me.

 

It's fine to choose to deprive yourself like that if it affects only you, of course. It didn't and you know that. I am glad you're feeling better. Depression is very hard as I know vicariously.

A few weeks ago, I drove out to an isolated town I'd never been to 5 hours away and lived in my car in a carpark for a week. Didn't have my phone, laptop or any devices.

A few weeks ago, I drove out to an isolated town I'd never been to 5 hours away and lived in my car in a carpark for a week. Didn't have my phone, laptop or any devices.

Interesting! Not sure what that has to do with defriending people without explanation. Certainly you can go off the grid and to me it is thoughtless not to tell those people who you're in regular contact with that you plan to do that.

Interesting! Not sure what that has to do with defriending people without explanation. Certainly you can go off the grid and to me it is thoughtless not to tell those people who you're in regular contact with that you plan to do that.

At that point in time, I unfriended those people not wanting to interact with anyone ever again.

This is a good idea and recommended all the time. Yes, pare down your friends list to only who you want and only re-add those who send friend requests and who you would like to follow. Don't send crushes friend requests unless they know you otherwise it's comes across as creepy lurker...and you wouldn't mind seeing pics of them with their bfs. Much better to get on some dating apps, find and start talking to girls there.

Went down from over a 1000 to 39 friends. I've had a couple of crushes that I haven't really gotten over. One from 4 years ago, and from 2 years ago.

Don't send crushes friend requests unless they know you otherwise it's comes across as creepy lurker...and you wouldn't mind seeing pics of them with their bfs.

They know me. I just never had the courage to tell them I liked them. They know.

At that point in time, I unfriended those people not wanting to interact with anyone ever again.

Yes, you made a choice to unfriend and burn bridges by unfriending in the way you did. My 9 year old son does things like this without considering the consequences if he changes his mind (he does this with toys/property at times not people) - then he changes his mind and realizes that he should have considered that in the first place -that he might change his mind and then it might be too late. Life lesson.

Does that justify your choice to potentially hurt your friend? No, not in my opinion. So if you re-establish connections you have to be ready for those people not to buy your excuses for choosing to unfriend in this way and hurt them. I get that you weren't feeling well and had depression and it doesn't excuse hurting others. If there was something out of your control as to why you had to cut people off as you did, that's different. But you made a choice and the choice included potentially hurting people. Now you're experiencing the consequences, the downside. And you continue to make excuses which tells me you feel justified in choosing to hurt them and now want these people to welcome you back. If they don't it's understandable.