Dropping a friend who pressures you to do things you don’t want to do is brave. You can be kind about it and still be done.

Pressure from a friend is harder to refuse than pressure from a stranger, because refusing seems to put the whole friendship on the table. Sometimes it does, and that is information rather than a tragedy. Ending it does not require a verdict about who they are, or a speech that makes you the hero of the story. You can wish someone well, mean it, and still stop answering the invitations.

No dramatic exit is owed. Reply less, make fewer plans, and say no without building a case. If they ask directly, one honest sentence about what you are not up for is enough.