We often think that our friends will be around to support and create memories with us forever. However, some friendships do end and this can leave you feeling devastated and let down. How can you deal with losing a friend? Here’s help.

It’s okay to feel sad

Allow yourself to mourn the loss of your friendship. Whether it was a big fight or a gradual drift between you and your friend, it’s okay to feel sad or even angry about it. Be patient with yourself and allow yourself to go through all the different emotions so that you can heal.

Let them know how they made you feel

If there’s an opportunity to mend or talk things over with your friend, make sure that you let them know how the breakup affected you. Be open to hearing how it affected them too. Communicating your feelings to your friend and allowing them to do the same will help you both work through your feelings.

Find an emotional outlet

If you’re unable to speak to your friend about your feelings, then it’s a good idea to find a way to express yourself and release the pent-up anger, sadness or resentment. You can do this by writing a letter to your friend, in which you express how the entire situation made you feel. Be honest and sincere about your feelings and thoughts. You have the choice to either keep the letter or send it to your friend or someone else that you trust.

Find other interests

Find something new and fun to do, like taking up a new hobby, doing some exercise or getting involved in a community project. This can be very therapeutic and help you focus on something other than your friendship breakup.

Get support

The loss of a good friendship can leave you feeling lonely and sad. It’s important to find someone you can talk to about these feelings. Remember that while you don’t have contact with your friend anymore, it doesn’t mean that you can’t lean on other people for support. You can also reach out to me for advice and a shoulder to cry on.

When friendships end it’s not easy to just forget about them and move on and while there’s a lot of advice on dealing with romantic breakups, we don’t often focus on the pain that comes with losing a friend. Feeling disappointed, sad and lonely after losing a friend is valid and it’s important to allow yourself time to heal and move on. Remember that there’s always opportunity to make new and fulfilling friendships.

If you or a friend need advice or help, you can contact me here on Ask Choma, send me a Facebook Message, a Twitter DM, or a WhatsApp Message (071 172 3657).