For instance, a friend moving away often isn’t personal at all, they likely just have other things in life to pursue, and if you both care about the friendship, you can find ways to maintain it from a distance. People move away, friends drift apart, people have conflicts and no longer get along-these are all common parts of life, and they don’t have to be something you take too personally or read into too much. In all of these cases, it can be important to examine your perspective and challenge thoughts that may not be helpful. For instance, if a friend moves away, the initial sting of the loss may prompt feelings of hurt like, “why don’t they care about this friendship?” Or, if a friendship ends because you’ve drifted apart, you might feel a sense of blame, like, “I’m a terrible friend.” Or, if a friendship ends because it is no longer a healthy connection, you might worry that this is indicative of a larger issue, like “I’ll never make a real friend again.” When losing a friend, for a variety of reasons, it can often be easy to take the loss very personally and read into it in some ways. Included below are a few ideas to consider to help you manage some of these tough emotions. Saying goodbye to a friend can be difficult, regardless of the reason. It can help to know that the memories and experiences you have do not go away just because the person is no longer around. When a friend is suddenly no longer around, we may experience this as a loss of a part of our own identity, because we lose the version of ourselves that we are with them. Whatever the reason for the loss or change, we may miss that person and miss some of who we are with them around, too.

In these cases, it may help to try to make some space for the change that needs to happen and keep yourself open to new friendships in your life. It could be that your friendship is just majorly changing. In some cases, such as a move, you may not have to say goodbye totally, as you may still be able to talk over the phone or video or see one another from time to time. You may lose friends from relocation, disagreements, growing apart, or even death.

A friend might move away, change schools, become too busy, or you might decide that the friendship is no longer a positive one that you want to maintain in your life.

With friendships often come with discoveries, joy, connection, and an opportunity to lean on others.įor a variety of reasons, we may lose some friends throughout our lives. Throughout our lives, friendships with others can have both mental and physical health benefits. When You Might Have To Say Goodbye To A Friend

Hard goodbye