How to End a Relationship With a Jealous Friend

Ending a jealous friendship may be difficult, but it can be done.

A healthy friendship is comprised of laughter, joy, support, compromise and being there for each other when the chips are down. However, if one friend is jealous of the other, it can negatively impact every aspect of of the friendship. If you have a jealous friend in your life, have exhausted all avenues in order to figure out why the jealousy is taking place and are ready to move on, there is no requirement that you must remain in a toxic friendship.

Instructions

1. Create a list of things that you want to discuss beforehand so that you will not forget. Prepare yourself mentally before confronting your friend by practicing what you will say and breathing deeply to get relaxed and focused.

2. Confront your jealous friend gently. Explain the reasons that you feel that your friendship is not how you perceive a friendship to be. Tell your friend that you are no longer interested in remaining friends because of the reasons you've just mentioned. Prepare for the worst and remain calm if your friend gets upset. Stick to your guns and remember why you need to end the friendship in the first place. Remain calm and collected, but let your friend know that your mind is made up.

3. Walk away from the relationship. Delete any phone numbers, addresses, social network profiles and email addresses associated with your ex-friend. Do not answer your ex-friend's phone calls or return emails. Remain strong during this time, because there is a good chance that your ex-friend will try to contact you, and may even talk behind your back. If you happen to run into your ex-friend at a social gathering, be the bigger person and walk away.

References

• UCLA Center for Behavior, Evolution, and Culture: The Evolution of Jealousy
• Psychology Today: Toxic Friends

Resources

• Freedom from Toxic People: Jealousy: Friend or Foe?