How to Be Friends After a Breakup

Video Transcript

"We're fine tuning our relationships skills and today we're going to talk about how to be friends after a breakup. Hi, my name is Joe Cuenco, I'm with family resources. Well, just how do you become friends and stay friends after a breakup? Basically, the first thing you're going to have to do is manage the process of the breakup first. If you're incompatible and have differences of opinions and maybe you're just parting ways and just agree that you're going to stay friends and that you really had no issues. Or perhaps she got a job transfer or something of that nature. But, if someone has wronged the other individual that person needs to express sorrow and regret and ask for forgiveness because if not there's going to always be some type of amenity there and that's not really conducive to a friendship relationship. You really need to focus on the good things you had together, the fun, the common interests. Perhaps you've even built something. I've known people who weren't compatible as girlfriend/boyfriend and actually started playing tennis together and were on tennis teams even after the breakup. So, the real key is you really need to get past the ill feelings, the hurt. In the case where there was something really cataclysmic such as cheating on you or cheating with her boyfriend, then you're really going to need to get to the point to where you get over that anger and get to the part of forgiveness. Really need to focus on the individual and not the action. The real key is you don't really want to burn bridges because the world is getting smaller. Chances are you'll run into that individual and you may want to be back together again or be together with her or him for some reason. That's how to be friends after a breakup. I'm Joe Cuenco with family resources, relationships for life."