How to Be Friends with Someone You Like without Losing Your Mind

Liking a friend makes things complicated. But here you can learn how to be friends with someone you like without going crazy.

You can literally *figuratively* drive yourself crazy thinking about your crush. But, it does not have to be so hard. You can learn how to be friends with someone you like. You just have to take a few steps for it to be bearable and then for it to be fine.

We have all had a crush on a friend. It is weird. You spend time with them, but it is platonic. All you want to do is tell them you like them, but you don't want to make things weird or ruin your friendship.

Are you already friends?

This is an important question to consider when you want to know how to be friends with someone you like. If you are already friends, you have a foundation. You are comfortable around this person.

But, if you are trying to be friends with someone you like in order to create a foundation that could turn into something else, things can get iffy. That friendship already starts out with a secret. You are beginning a friendship with the intention of getting them to like you.

I am not saying that it cannot work, but it isn't honest and that friendship won't be the real thing if you harbor romantic feelings the whole time. You will always have an intent not purely friendship.

Yes, it is beneficial to have a friendship before a relationship. Think Chandler and Monica. Their friendship made their relationship stronger. But, forming a relationship with the hopes of becoming more is a messy thing to do.

I do not personally believe in the friend zone as it makes a friendship seem like a consolation prize. If you truly liked someone you would feel happy just to be their friend, not disappointed that you don't get more from them.

If you try to be friends with someone you like in order to get them to like you, you are being sneaky, not romantic, and dishonest not respectful.

Being friends with someone you like

Think back to Friends. When Joey had a crush on Rachel, he was such a gentleman about it. He respected her and didn't make a move. Even when he did tell her how he felt he was gracious and respectful and accepted that she didn't feel the same way.

On the other hand, Ross continued to be jealous of Rachel's dates. He was rude and manipulative whenever he had the chance. He always had underlying feelings for her and wanted her as his property rather than actually letting her be happy without him.

You want to be Joey, not Ross. You have to accept any outcome. You have to realize that just because you feel this way doesn't mean they do too. Being friends with this person seems like it would complicate things, but in fact, it can make the whole situation easier.

They know you and you know them. You respect one another and want the other to be happy. You also have to decide if you want to make a move, share how you feel, or try to move on.

How to be friends with someone you like

Now I did give you Joey as an example of how to be friends with someone you like. But, even though he was a class act, that is a fictional television show. So here are some dos and don'ts on how to be friends with someone you like.

#1 Do not have an ulterior motive. Being friends with someone you like is not easy, but it does not have to be hard. What makes it hard is trying to convince them to like you. Putting effort into that friendship as if you are wooing them is not a good idea.

#2 Don't be a doormat. When you like someone, you want them to like you, obviously. And a good way to do that is to be polite and caring. Makes sense. But, just because you like a friend does not mean you have to be their follower. You do not have to run errands for them or do everything they ask.

Not only will that make things more difficult for you, but that will not grow your friendship. Going above and beyond for a friend is wonderful, but going above and beyond for a friend you like as more than a friend is discounting all you truly have to offer.

#3 Do be respectful. There are a lot of ways we deal with rejection. Drinking, anger, sadness, venting, and the list goes on. But being friends with someone you like is not just accepting rejection and moving on. It is a long and drawn out time to get used to not being together.

Sure you may be bitter or upset, but you have to remain respectful. Just because they are your friend, it does not mean they owe you a chance at a relationship. And it does not mean they should see that you like them without saying anything.

#4 Do be a true friend. Undermining a decision this person is making because you like them is wrong. Once again, let's go back to Ross Gellar. He is “friends” with Rachel, but instead of supporting her dream job in Paris, he goes behind her back to get her to stay.

That is not a true or good friend in any way, shape, or form.

#5 Try to move on. You do not want to spend the rest of your life, year, or even month suffering in silence. If you decided not to tell your friend that you like them, it is time to move on. This does not mean you have to go on the rebound, but it can mean flirting, considering others, and venting to someone you trust.

#6 Do take some space. Seeing someone you like continuously, even in a platonic sense can make things even harder for you. So just take some space away from them. Even friendships with people you don't like have lulls.

So tell them you're busy with work and just take even a week or so away from them. That space can do you a lot of good. It can help you move on or help you realize you want to tell them how you feel.

#7 Do treat them like any other friend. If you wouldn't drive your friends to the airport, don't go above and beyond for this friend because you like them. If you would let a friend vent to you about a date, let them do the same.

If you want to be friends with this person, you have to actually be friends with them.

#8 Do not treat them badly. Do not take out your emotional frustration on them. That is not fair. It is not their fault that you like them. If you can't treat them with kindness maybe you are not capable of being their friend.

#9 Accept their relationships. Don't be rude to their significant other. Do not diss their partner in front of them or behind their back. If you want to know how to be friends with someone you like, realize you are just friends. That means they can date who they choose and your jealousy cannot be involved in that.

#10 Do be appreciative. Do not see your friendship as second place to a relationship. You have to be happy to have this person in your life. You have to see this friendship as something you appreciate, not something you are fine with because you can't sleep with them.

Friendship is not a punishment, it is something you should feel lucky to have.

#11 Do not pine. Waiting around for them to see that you like them and have been in front of them the whole time is unhealthy and will not work. I know it works on TV and in the movies, but it rarely works in the real world.

Letting go takes time. You won't move on immediately, but do have a plan to move on. If not, you will just be waiting around for something that is never going to happen.

#12 Date. Again I am not saying you should go around on the rebound, but do be open to other options. You never know, you could meet someone you like even more.

You may still have feelings for your friend, but being open to outside possibilities will let you see other outcomes.

#13 Don't try to make them jealous. I know I am like a broken record. Do not try to brag about someone you're seeing to make them jealous. Don't prance some hot person in front of them. That is in bad taste. Not only does it make you seem juvenile, but it is disrespectful to your friend and the person you are using.

You are lying to this person and underestimating the person you like.

#14 Do not guilt them. Don't make them feel bad for not liking you back. Feelings are not something you can just decide to feel or not to feel. If they don't like you in the same way you have to be okay with it.

If you cannot do that, you should not be friends with them.

#15 Tell them how you feel. If you just cannot stay quiet anymore that is okay. If you don't want to ask yourself what if and think there could be a chance that is okay. Or if you need to get your feelings off your chest in order to move on and maintain the friendship, do it.

Just remember to accept any outcome.

There are lots of ways to learn how to be friends with someone you like if that is truly what you want. It may not be easy at first, but if you value this person as a friend, it'll all be worth it.