Reciprocity is not constant equality; it is knowing the balance matters to both people.

A friendship measured too precisely stops being a friendship. Life is uneven, and there will be long stretches where one person is giving more because the other is unwell, overwhelmed, or simply out of capacity. What has to be shared is the awareness that the balance exists and matters, not a matched set of contributions. That awareness is what makes an imbalance temporary rather than structural.

If you have been carrying more for a while, notice whether the other person seems to know. Acknowledgment usually settles the resentment better than repayment would. And if you have been the one receiving, say so out loud.