While romantic breakups undoubtedly suck, there’s no denying one small silver lining: There are some generally accepted social scripts and rituals for dealing with heartbreak. You’ve got sad love songs to cry to, for example, bookstore shelves full of self-help guides by relationship experts, and comforting advice and words of encouragement from loved ones. Sure, it’s rarely as simple as mourning in bed with a box of chocolates Elle Woods-style, but at least there’s a cultural precedent for what a breakup looks like and ways you might get through it.
A friendship breakup, on the other hand? Not so much. There aren’t many established ways to end a friendship , let alone stumble through the aftermath, so we’re often left to navigate the pain alone. To make it worse, people don’t always understand how devastating losing a close pal can be, which means your feelings might not get the acknowledgement they deserve—or worse, get brushed off entirely.
One thing’s for sure, though: Those of us who have experienced the end of a good friendship know exactly how gut-wrenching it can be. So for anyone out there who’s currently nursing a platonically broken heart, we asked people who’ve been there, too, for their best advice. Whether they survived an official friends breakup , getting ghosted or something in between, here’s what helped them heal and move forward.
1. Feeling your feelings—especially the negative ones “I honestly gave myself permission just to be .