How to Deal With Broken Friendships

Overview

Friendships are an important part of living a healthy, happy life. It is important to nurture friendships so they can last a lifetime. While friendships are a key to good health, destructive friendships can hinder mental health and well-being. Broken friendships can lead to feelings of depression and isolation, but when a friendship ends, you should consider if it was a healthy friendship worth rekindling or an unhealthy one from which you should move on.

Step 1

Examine why the friendship was broken. You need to figure out the root of the problem so you can mend the relationship (if you want to) and learn how to avoid the issue in the future.

Step 2

Take time for yourself. It can be heartbreaking to lose a special connection in your life, so take this time to take care of yourself and use the situation as a learning experience. Use the experience to learn more about yourself and the importance of the friendship.

Step 3

Forgive the other person or ask for forgiveness. If the other person was responsible for the broken friendship, forgive her. If this is a friendship that will never be mended, forgive her anyway (even if she doesn't ask for forgiveness) because it will help you move on. If you made the mistake, ask for forgiveness. Show the other person you are trustworthy and loyal by making it up to her. Ask her how you can remedy the problem. Decide how to compromise and continue the friendship or go your separate ways amicably.

Step 4

Move on. This can mean two things. If the friendship is broken beyond repair, you must move on with your life. Keep fond memories of the friendship and use the experience to avoid friendship problems in the future. If you decide to mend the relationship, move on from the issue that caused problems. Do not bring up the past over and over, or your friendship will continue to suffer. Focus on rebuilding the relationship on common interests.