Friendship Break up
“Having close friendships is linked to better health, yet one in eight adults have no close friends at all”
The loss of a friendship can be just as hard as a relationship break up.
Whether it’s the slow drifting apart from a childhood friend, the sudden, sharp distance created by a disagreement, or one of the many relationships that have quietly fallen away during the pandemic, losing someone that you thought would always be in your life is profoundly difficult.
It is completely normal that sometimes friendships end and that can actually be healthy. However, we haven’t been taught to carry this expectation into our friend relationships. Friendships, like any relationship, sometimes aren’t meant to be — and even if they are, maintaining them takes real work.
Some reasons why your friendship may have ended:
- The friendship is consistently one-sided.
- They betray your trust.
- They don’t keep your secrets.
- They are overly negative and pessimistic.
- You have little or nothing to talk about.
- They create or attract drama.
- They are passive-aggressive when you say “no” to them.
- They dismiss it when you raise a concern.
- You’ve both grown apart
- No longer relate to them
How do you get over a friendship that has ended?
1. Grief
2. Get closure and clarity (if possible)
3. Look at what will help you move on
4. Remember you deserve good friendships
5. Practice Self Care
6. Reflect on the friendship but don’t dwell or ruminate
You can find more on friendship break-ups here:
