How To Get Over A Broken Friendship

A close friend can be a confidant, a companion, a shoulder to cry on and a partner in crime. Regardless of how compatible you are at the height of the friendship, your relationship may end because you no longer want to spend time together. Whether your friendship ended because of a disagreement, busy schedules or different directions and priorities in life, conclude the broken friendship in a way that gives you peace of mind so you'll be able to remember your time together fondly.

Step 1

Discuss the situation with a trusted friend or family member, particularly if you're sad or confused about the friendship breakup. Expressing your feelings will help you achieve closure so you can develop new relationships. The "Good Housekeeping" magazine article, "Friendship Problems: When Your Child Is Fighting with Her Best Friend," points out that an impartial observer may also help you understand your role in the breakup if you felt blindsided by the broken friendship.

Step 2

Acknowledge the fact that you simply drifted apart and that it isn't either person's fault that the friendship ended. In a publication for New York University's Langone Medical Center Community, clinical professor of psychiatry Irene Levine, PhD, notes that friendships form because of common interests, and when your interests change, so may your friendships.

Step 3

Write a letter or make one last phone call to end a friendship on a positive note if an argument or misunderstanding caused the breakup. "How to Mend a Broken Friendship" in "Reader's Digest" magazine notes that apologizing for circumstances that ended the friendship may help you part company on better terms. This is particularly important if you have mutual friends and may still see your former friend at special events.

Step 4

Participate in different activities to meet new friends and get over the broken friendship. Kids Health suggests signing up for classes or lessons such as art, karate or sports where you can develop additional hobbies and interact with people who share the same interests. You can also do volunteer work with a youth group, school, charitable organization or political campaign where you can meet potential friends with the same values and beliefs.

Tips and Warnings

Remember that "friendship" doesn't have to mean you see or talk to each other constantly. "Ladies' Home Journal" magazine notes that even if a friendship appears to be over because you no longer have time to spend together, you can still send an occasional email or get together once a year to keep the lines of communication open in case you want to rekindle the relationship later.