Out of all the kinds of breakups in the world, I think friendship breakups can be one of the most devastating. Everyone always talks about breaking up with their first love, fiancé, etc. But there’s not a lot of discussion revolving around breaking up with your friend. I have definitely had my fair share of these, and without a doubt, I can say it’s much more hurtful than any guy. When I would experience these at first, I definitely felt pretty lost and didn’t know how to cope with them. So if you’re currently experiencing one of these breakups, here’s how I’ve worked through mine.
First, I would suggest just allowing yourself to grieve this loss. It can be very tempting sometimes to just completely distract yourself and forget this happened. While having some distractions is beneficial, it’s not something to do all the time as it doesn’t let you fully process your emotions. Friendships, at least in my opinion, can often be deeper than any romantic relationship. Friends know you on very deep levels; there are lots of memories and history there. So grieving all of this is important so you can fully recognize your emotions regarding it.
Then, something I found to be helpful was not isolating myself. Isolation can be very easy to do, as you become consumed by your thoughts and emotions reflecting. But it’s important to still get out here. I personally found it healthy for me to hang out with my other friends and do fun activities. Or even sometimes just going to a park and sitting with a different friend and just venting about the situation can be helpful. Surrounding yourself with people who love and care for you can bring that end-of-the-rainbow kind of feeling back.
Something I also found myself doing sometimes was romanticizing the friendship in a way. I could often get lost in the fun memories or the way the friendship used to be, then reflect on what it actually was at the end. Doing this just makes the experience a lot harder than it needs to be.
With that being said, I’d also recommend after you’ve processed your emotions more to just view this as a growing experience. I’d say that viewing a friendship breakup in thai point of view helped me move on the most. In most breakups, no one is perfect, and there’s always something both parties could’ve done better. So I’ve just begun to view it more as something for me to do better next time with a potential new friend.
Overall, losing a friend is not a fun experience, but just remember it doesn’t mean you don’t deserve a new friend. As I said, it’s all a learning experience. If you’re going through one of them right now I hope this helps you a bit through your journey.