What does ‘probably best’ mean here?

I was speaking to a friend about my fear of spiders and asked what they would do and how they would deal with. They got back with their response and then said the following:

‘I think your approach to vacuuming it is probably best if you’re super scared though’

What does ‘probably best’ mean here? I sort of feel bad a bit for vacuuming them but it does make me really scared when I see them. Do you think my friend sees me as cruel by doing it? Do you think that they are still my friend or does ‘probably best’ suggest that they don’t like what I do. I just get very scared when I see t hem…

Umm no... I think it just means they are suggesting the best way to get rid of a spider...

Yes, as above – the best way for you to deal with spiders would be for you to vacuum them up, because most other ways of dealing with spiders involve getting close to them (e.g. using paper and a glass to catch them to put outside) which presumably you would not be too fond of doing.

^ What a bizarre question…

lol

lol

Are you laughing at me?

yup, but on a serious note- does your friend's opinion matter to you? if they view you as a bad person will you change for them?

Do you think my friend cares/d about the spider, and are they still my friend?

Do you think my friend cares/d about the spider, and are they still my friend?

Yes and yes

What did they say they would do to deal with a spider? Did it involve putting the spider outside?

Putting the spider outside would be a much more humane way of dealing with it than, say, stamping on it and killing it. This implies that your friend cares about the spider (in the sense of avoiding killing things unnecessarily).

Your friend knows that you have a fear of spiders, so understands that you would not want to handle the spider to put it outside, and feels that you vacuuming it up would be the best/easiest/"safest" option for you to deal with it without getting too scared. This shows that your friend also cares about you (and cares about you more than the spider!) and that they are definitely still your friend

Please don’t laugh at me - I don’t understand.

I will feel sad if they no longer see me as a friend. I feel a bit bad as they may think it is not very nice, but I told them I was very scared. I might see if I can find another way to remove them - I find it hard though when am I on my own. My friend says that they throw something on top of one and wait for their flat mate to get back to put it outside, but I live on my own so can’t do that.

Thank you so much - I will feel sad if they no longer see me as a friend. I feel a bit bad as they may think it is not very nice, but I told them I was very scared. I might see if I can find another way to remove them - I find it hard though when am I on my own. My friend says that they throw something on top of one and wait for their flat mate to get back to put it outside, but I live on my own so can’t do that.

i can't tell if you're being sarcastic or genuine- but either way arachnophobia is no joke if i saw a spider i would 100% kill it and i'm pretty sure 9/10 times someone else would too as it is the worlds most common phobia -.-

I don't know how big your fear is, but if vacuuming them up is not too scary for you, would using a dustpan and brush (to collect the spider and then stick it outside) be manageable? It keeps you some distance from the spider, and (as long as you are gentle) doesn't kill it
https://www.wikihow.com/Get-Spiders-Out-of-Your-House-Without-Killing-Them

Also I am sure you know this, but (unless you are in Australia or somewhere tropical etc.) spiders are pretty harmless. They are really interesting creatures and have some fascinating markings – if you can bear to look at one! Also they eat flies which is a huge bonus