Imagine you’re sitting down with someone and having a one-on-one conversation. You say, “I’m sorry, I just don’t think that you and I are compatible. I don’t think we should see each other anymore.”
Who’s the first person you think would be on the receiving end of this message? Probably someone you’ve been dating. But could you imagine yourself saying this to a friend of yours that you’ve known since elementary school? Probably not.
There’s an inexplicable double standard when it comes to breaking up with someone. In a romantic relationship, breaking up with someone when it’s not working out is encouraged and seen as a necessary step to meeting the right person for you. But in a friendship, this idea that it’s okay to end the relationship if it doesn’t add anything to your life isn’t there.
But here’s the thing: breaking up with a friend is just as necessary as breaking up with a significant other.
Image via QuietRev
Your friends can change significantly as people. Your friends can outgrow your relationship with them. Your friends can become toxic people in your life. These concepts are not exclusive to significant others or romantic relationships. Just like how it’s important to recognize and take action when a romantic relationship is no longer functional or bad for your well being, it is equally important in a friendship to do the same.
Breaking up with a friend is difficult. It’s as painful as breaking up with a significant other, but it’s also just as crucial in order to meet the right friends who will be the support system you need. The sooner you weed out the friends who aren’t changing your life for the better, the more room you’ll have in your heart for the ones that will.