How to Break Up With a Friend

[MADEbySOUL]

As a person who has been ghosted by some very close friends, let me tell you it hurts. You start going through everything and wonder if you are whats wrong. Friendships need closer too.

[alexsousa]

It depends what kind of friend it is. If it is a friend that stood by your side when you needed it the most and always supported you, you owe them a reason!

[princess_jasmine]

I don't like unfinished business. I like to know where I stand. It is more respectful to say some point let the person know so you can respectfully bow out.

[djidjine]

It’s hard breaking up with a friend...especially if it’s someone you’ve been friends with for a while and the friendship is not how it used to be.

[perliters]

It depends how much of a "FRIEND" they are and how LONG they've been your friend. Same with a BOYFRIEND.

[WillaWonka]

I’m with Pooch, sometimes you may be clueless that the other person is trying to cut ties or something. The best thing is to be REAL and just say hey listen, it’s not working out. It sucks but at least you’re respecting my feelings as a human. I’ll live. Lol

[stasiai.]

I've been ghosted before and it sucks. I've come to the realization that in this life, we as people will do what is best for us, even if that means others will be hurt by our actions (whether you provide closure/an explanation or not). Moreover, I also realized no one owes you anything. It's up to me to give myself closure and move on knowing that I am a good person, a good friend, and there are always opportunities to make friends whether those encounters lead to long, lasting relationships or not. If you wait for closure from someone else, you will wait in vain and you give that person power over your life when it is clear that they don't want to be there anymore or even care about you. Pray, love yourself to life, and do you boo!

[unnderneath]

Sometimes life gets busy and you begin to drift apart and go your own ways. I don't get attached, people come, people go. Just move on.

[linaluv]

Honestly I rarely have to break up with friends. If time gets the best of us, and we dont speak for months thats still my friend, we are just busy af and will catch up when we catch up. It really just depends on the situation and why I want to fall back from him or her. If she did something foul then I will gladly tell her behind off and she will know why we are no longer cool. If it's just something minor like we are losing common interests and just growing apart then I just let it naturally happen. Eventually communication will turn into a hi-and-bye relationship. So in the future if I so happen to change my number, she won't be apart of that mass mail text message. If and when I pull a Jeannie, then that person wasn't a friend, that's for associates and below. That's rude AF lol

[LIVEINPEACE]

I love Jeannie but that's the cowards way of doing it. I did it once and will never do it again! It didn't show any respect to her and the friendship that we had.

[YPM]

Lol I broke up with my best friend of five years. I said "I don't want to be friends anymore because x, y and z...." You don't really have to explain why you don't want to be their friend anymore, especially if they were a bad friend and didn't deserve an explanation. But it feels so much better when you just let them know what they did and it helps you to let it go.

[chuckie]

Jeannie is talking about people who really aren’t friends just occasionally see each other, i think the article is talking more about best friends who break up, that can be painful and to just block them with NO closure is cowardly imo. If they once meant something to you have the balls to tell them, don’t just go ghost. Nothing more inconsiderate and hurtful than someone doing you like that.

[wetflowers]

I feel like you shouldn’t tell a friend if you don’t want the problem being resolved! If you have a very solid reason (other than just not messing w them anymore) then you should tell them so they know in their other friendships what not to do!

[daniellelove]

Wouldn't want to have a friend like Jeanie who thinks that it's OK to do that or does that. Those people usually pop up back.

[Sophia_H]

That's actually a shitty thing to do to someone that considered you a friend. It's fine if you don't want to continue the friendship, but to just cut someone off like that & make them feel like they're not worth an explanation is messed up. I noticed that these days a lot of friendships end this way, bunch of grown ass people that can't communicate.

[HopeWren]

Can’t believe Jeanie actually thinks that the right way to handle it. If you don’t want to be friends anymore? Fine but does the person not deserve the respect to at least be told so they can move on. Take responsibility for your feelings & tell them. Don’t be a coward.

[Aieshoo]

I appreciate anyone who puts in the effort to be my friend. The only time I've ended a friendship was when my "friends" were being rude to me. I have no time for fake friends. That being said, I've been on the receiving end of feeling like someone doesn't want to be my friend (I'm usually an initiator). They usually just gradually stop talking to me. I'm happy to have it that way, because by showing they have no interest in a person who would be a genuine friend, I see that they are fakes too.

[millieras]

I don't agree with Jeannie. If you have a long time friend and for whatever reason you no longer want the relationship, then I believe that person deserves a reason. It's not fair. Friend breakups really hurt and people have feelings.

[shanec]

I think one of the reasons we can dismiss "friends" so easily nowadays is because we throw that word out there so casually that the meaning of the word "friend" has become watered down and reduced to unfollowing someone on Twitter and unfriending them on Facebook, and to me, that's not a real friend. I've always had lots of associates and industry/social friends that's beneficial for me to call friend, but in reality these weren't people I could chill at my house with all day (without wondering when are they going home) and be completely myself or confide in. I've never had more than one best friend at a time, and it is hard walking away from a bff that you've known for years and been through some things with. Like Tamera, I just slowly back away. Also like Tamera, if they really push me, I'll tell them why we're not friends anymore. And this is how you know you were a real friend to that person, when you can cut them off socially/physically but still have love for them and wish them well and not tell the things you know about them (it means you were real friends). Because if you can cut your love off like a power switch, chances are, you were never that persons true friend from the jump. Love doesn't work like that.

[schnitzel]

Jeannie, if you are reading this, that is the wrong way to handle the situation. If the person is doing something that you don't like, you should tell them that you need them to stop and that you don't be friends if they continue. That giving them the chance to change and also see if they care enough about you to make the effort. If they don't change, then they will know why you are no longer friends. However, not telling them why can lead them to not understand why you would distance yourself from them, it can leave them with a feeling of "Why?" and it can also make them more self conscious about their other friendships because they could begin to think that people don't care about them the way they thought they did. Your way is very selfish and wrong to the other person.