How to Let Go of a Friend

Letting a friend go can be challenging but ultimately rewarding.

Relationships are often stressful and require a lot of effort to make them successful. Friendships can sometimes become toxic and unhealthy to one or both people involved. Letting go of unpleasant or unhealthy friendships can be very difficult but is a vital step to improving overall quality of life, reduce stress, and possibly improve self-esteem. Once a friendship becomes more effort than what it's worth, letting that friend go is better done sooner rather than later.

Instructions

1. If you want to end a close friendship, tell that person that you will not be able to communicate with them anymore and have one last opportunity to discuss your feelings. Once the conversation is over, follow through on not communicating anymore. If the relationship is more distant, simply stop talking, calling or e-mailing without the need for a conversation about it.

2. Remove any social contact information that you may share, such as Facebook or Twitter connections. Delete the person's number from your phone so you are not tempted to restart the relationship. If you are concerned about your friend calling you, keep the number, so you know it is that person if they ever decide to call you, but change the name your caller ID reflects from the ex-friend's name to "Do Not Answer," as a way of strengthening your resolve.

3. Engage in other activities that can take your mind off the end of your friendship. Go out with other friends or start a work project or focus on a hobby. The more your mind is occupied with other things, the less painful a friendship dissolution will be.

4. Pursue new friendships. See if you can connect with new people through other friends or social functions and you can find people who may enrich your life instead of mourning the loss of an unhealthy friendship.

References

• She Knows: How to Let Go of Friendships That Hurt Your Health
• The All I Need: Negative Friendship
• California Psychics: Firing Your Friends