Ending a friendship is a difficult thing to do and many wonder how to accomplish it without hurting their friend’s feelings or causing too much drama. Should you just stop calling your pal? Slowly pull away from them? After all, you might want to move on from your relationship but you probably don’t want to be intentionally cruel to someone you once called a friend. Here are some tips on how to break up with your pal the right way.
Make Sure Your Friend Understands Why You Are Ending the Relationship
Before you put an end to your friendship, make sure you talk through the issues. This might seem like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised at how many people simply break up rather than confront their friend. Telling someone you’re unhappy with them is never easy, but do you really want to lose a friend when you could work out a solution instead? More than that, sometimes friendships actually become stronger after a frank discussion.
Address the Issues
If you talked with your friend in the past about how you felt, this will be an easy discussion. Refer to the time(s) you brought the issue up, and any resolution you two might have agreed on. (For example, “Do you remember last year when I asked you to not make comments behind my back to Sally? You said you would try to stop, but I just heard two more today.”)
When you bring up the issue, give your friend a chance to explain. There may be a misunderstanding that you didn’t realize existed.
If, however, you haven’t yet addressed the issues with your friend, you have a decision to make. Do you really want to end your friendship then? Or are you just angry? Take some time to cool off so you can approach your friend in an assertive way that doesn’t accuse…
Read More: friendship.about.com
