How to Deal with Friends?

Thanks healingme4me & Pizza!

Assertiveness yeah, I've read books on it, it still didn't come naturally in some circumstances..
Asking for clarification - I like that! Might need to write down some possible sentences and carry around with me when needed, or when talking on Skype or such.

There are people online who question the validity of the diagnosis 'schizophrenia' and I question if I was 'labelled' right anyway, so when did I let this become so important to prevent me from new friendships or standing up for myself etc? Good question.

These two friends are both divorced and have to take care of themselves (which I admire them for!), they have no parents anymore, while I've lived with my parents and have had it 'easy' in their eyes..
They do have lesser education than I and had to work more to support themselves... so there may be a point in what you say, Pizza!
I don't see myself as 'better' or 'better off' than them though, maybe they did in a way...
I don't know if they might have any self-hate, they seem pretty pleased with themselves overall (?). Just not with their life/money situation that much.
I can understand they've been under stress so I used to cut them some slack.

They can be very loud and expressive when bothered by something/angry. Or even when just talking about 'not-so-important' things... On the phone, I learnt to just end the conversation then, if I couldn't pull it into more 'peaceful waters'.

I feel that to a point you do need to just accept some of your friends behavior. I mean if you want them to accept you as you are , doesn't that mean you should accept them as they are also? Who determines what is not important ? I would assume the person that is talking feels that it is important.

I'm one of those people that does get loud and angry sometimes, My friends understand it.

Anyway , Just my 2 cents

Thanks for your 2cents! You do have a point.

I feel I've been very accepting and understanding. I like them and it's part of who they are. I just want to have 'tools' to deal with it in an assertive way when it happens, if needed and if I might get overwhelmed by it.

Sometimes one was loud and seemed in bigger emotional distress than really was, or the discussion wasn't so important to her, that's what I meant by 'unimportant things' - that I may have 'overreacted' to something that has been not so significant to her, we had a discussion with one friend about this in the past. She's just very expressive.
And I've had hyperacusis (sound sensitivity).

I sometimes get angry and loud too, but I try not to burden my friends with too much of it. Plus, sometimes it's been about things/'controversial issues' they did not understand and haven't been supportive of. (Like the smoking, environmentalism...)