Decide Whether to End or Step Back From a Friendship That No Longer Works

It has been off for a while. You are not sure whether to step back or say something. The expensive mistake in this situation is treating a life phase problem as a friendship problem. This distinguishes between the two, asks what ending the friendship would actually cost that you have not accounted for, names the conversation you would need to have to give it a real chance, and gives a plain recommendation.

Think about a friendship that has been feeling one-sided, draining, or simply not the way it used to be. Describe specifically what has changed, how long it has been this way, what you have tried (or not tried) to address it, and what you actually want from the friendship. Once you have named it clearly, produce an analysis covering: whether what you are describing is a friendship problem or a life phase problem (these are different things and have different solutions), what ending or stepping back from this friendship would actually cost you that you have not fully accounted for, what a conversation with this person would need to cover if you were to give the friendship a genuine chance before deciding, and a plain recommendation on whether to end it, step back, or invest in it. Under 300 words.