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How Do You Break Up With a Friend?

How Do You Break Up With a Friend?

Sarah Sibley | Divine Caroline

September 24, 2009

There are numerous theories, books, songs, and daytime talk shows on how to break-up with a boyfriend. Hell, there’s even been a movie about it. (Did anyone really see How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days?) But there aren’t so many books at your corner bookstore entitled Dumping Your Best Friend: 10 Easy Steps to Breaking It off with the Girl You Spent the Last Four Years Totally Intertwined in the Inner-Most Sanctum of Friendship. It just doesn’t fit so well on a book jacket. Unfortunately, the “I just don’t think we should see each other anymore,” doesn’t really work in this situation. The friend dump happens, though. And when it does, what do you do? What do you say? And do you have to give back the amazing cashmere sweater that you borrowed?

Let me back up. I had a best friend for nearly four years. She and I were completely inseparable (as inseparable as two adults could be, anyway.). We thought for sure that we were soul mates. We shared the same values, politics, love for film, music, literature, and celebrity gossip. We weren’t exactly the same size in clothes—she was sublimely a size six, I was a pudgy post-college ten-ish—but we both adored fashion. Men came and went from our lives, but they were never as exciting as our friendship. My friend and I chalked it up to having a bond much deeper than any man or sex-toy.

We lived together in the same city for a time, and people started to only know the two of us together. Me and her. Her and me. We rarely went anywhere without each other. When we weren’t together we were emailing and instant messaging at work. We both had a biting, cynical wit, so being around the two of us was like Laverne and Shirley on crack. What’s not to love?

Life goes on, and eventually we both moved away to different cities. She went to law school, and I took a job in another city. Of course we kept in touch, because we were BFF, Best Friends Forever. In a pre-Friends and Family, Unlimited Calling After 7 p.m. world, we had huge cell phone bills. For the first few weeks, we both complained that there weren’t “cool” ladies in our chosen cities, the guys were so-so, it’s lonely, blah blah blah. All the usual separation anxiety symptoms. But as all living, breathing women do, we moved on. She got really into law school and I got really into my job, my new urban lifestyle, and men. I figured this was the natural progression of our friendship into adult friendship. Apparently she had some different thoughts.

Next Page: New Boyfriend Ruffles Feathers →

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    shopatoutlet

    over 1 year ago

    2 comments

    There are many reasons to break up you and your boy friend.This is a very attractive topic,I like reading this kind of articles,Thanks for sharing.

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  • Photo_user_blank_big

    jemmin

    over 1 year ago

    8 comments

    Your friend may feel shock, denial, anger, guilt, frustration, depression, joy of one or all of these feelings in the coming weeks is a lot for anyone to manage and delete them, as well as for you, if with them all the time.

    find missing people

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    zhuzhu123

    almost 2 years ago

    20 comments

    ys. Remember pandora bracelet it isnt wise to fine jewelry save a few bucks pandora jewelry at the cost of cheap jewelry your eyesight. Rolex, a pandora charm bracelet name which rules the tiffany and co watches industry, is well-admired jewelry stores for providing best categories fine jewelry and models of watches replica Juicy Couture jewelry to the c jewelry store

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    guinevere81

    almost 2 years ago

    4 comments

    To the people who are making the "you should never have to break up with your friends" argument: you don't understand unless you've actually been in a toxic relationship. I'm not going to go into detail or tell my life story, but you truly don't understand unless you've been in a toxic relationship--friendship or otherwise.

    Even if she's not with the boyfriend anymore, she's not going to wonder why she let her friend go. Believe me, she knows why she let the friend go, and there are likely no regrets, except that it would have been nicer if the situation had been different. Nice try on the guilt trip, though.

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    godlygirl7

    almost 2 years ago

    2 comments

    Thanks. That was really good advice! :) Women always relate in circles. When they feel kicked out of the circle, they get really let down and angry. If she was a great friend, she would have stopped being selfish and had been really truly happy for you because you were happy. Jealousy ruins many good friendships. We definitely need girl friends, even when we are married! Men relate in ladders, women -circles. If the friendship could have been salvaged to the point if she just could have been happy for you, that could have made the difference in your friendship. Even if you do get married to your boyfriend, you would have still need that girl friendship! It's too bad she gave you an ultimatum! How sad and how selfish! I hope you do find another circle of women who are happy for you when you are happy! Blessings!

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    mellieemm

    over 2 years ago

    2 comments

    sounded to me like she had a girl crush more than anything.

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    emadhumita

    over 2 years ago

    4 comments

    I frankly want to know, lol...how long you end up being with this man for whom you lost a friend? Then you'll perhaps wonder why you let your friend go. Or perhaps you get over the partners in your life just like you let yourself lose friends.

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    magicweb

    over 2 years ago

    2 comments

  • Rawr__by_toastypants_max50

    greenkazoo123

    over 2 years ago

    4 comments

    This isn't how to break up with a friend. This is your friend story, with four tips on why you should.

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    jcjc_student

    over 2 years ago

    2 comments

    i'm not sold on this article/blog post (whatever it is). either the author's a terrible story teller by withholding key info. or a moron. friendships, even bad ones, don't end over phone conversations. she didn't paint a good picture of the friend, the boyfriend, or herself, so i cannot relate to this at all as the author herself seems to have fostered this "one person focused" situation with her friend (and i would bet now with her partner). you should never have to "break up" with your friends. yes, you might grow apart, which in this case, she should have just let happen instead of "breaking up" and losing the opportunity to reconnect later down the road. i find this whole story preposterous. ending a friendship over a night at the bar? there has to be more to the story other than your friend ignoring your boyfriend. maybe he's a douche, and she was protecting you. or maybe she just wanted to spend some time with you first before the boyfriend. either way, i don't think either of you handled the situation well, but i mostly fault you for thinking you did nothing wrong and then expecting a "yo go, girl".

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    just_me_2009_1

    over 2 years ago

    2 comments

    "emadhumita" I find YOUR comment absolutely RIDICULOUS. There ARE unhealthy situations out there that we should avoid and certainly once realizing that we have found ourselves IN such a situation, GET OUT. Women have lost their lives over JEALOUS and POSSESSIVE human beings. BEST case scenario they have LOST VALUABLE friends who could not stand the unhealthiness of the possessive person's emotions. NO ONE should be anyone else's EMOTIONAL HOSTAGE. The immature person was the cuckoo friend who gave the ultimatum and treated the BFF like she was HER woman (romantic girlfriend). You're the reason why people get into and stay in abusive relationships today. And MANY lose their lives behind it. Granted this was obviously not that extreme, but no less UNhealthy in its make up. If you find yourself in such a messy unhealthy relationship GET OUT!! Don't make excuses for others emotional sickness. Pray for them but extricate yourself for your OWN well-being. You should never stay in a friendship/relationship that is to YOUR detriment for the sake of ENABLING someone else's SICKNESS. Get a grip weird person "emadhumita"; YOU'RE prob the sicko she was writing about.

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    grkgrl

    over 2 years ago

    4 comments

    Oops, I meant whoa, not woe, though it may have been a Freudian slip (well, not quite Freudian, but you know what I mean).

  • Photo_user_blank_big

    grkgrl

    over 2 years ago

    4 comments

    Woe, you certainly needed some balance in your life. I have friends, but I can't imagine ever being that close with someone that people expect to see us together (gosh, even my husband and I aren't that inseparable). I think it is unhealthy to ever let a friendship get that tight. I have several best friends, and the three of us have been friends for 25 years (well, actually one of them much longer than that b/c she is my sister) . We go on vacations together sometimes but not always, we go to dinner, but we all still get together with other friends. You have to diversify a little. I think you were wise to drop her, though you should have done that way before the boyfriend incident. Were there really no signs that she is crazy? Any friend who would say me or your boyfriend is not mentally healthy.

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    emadhumita

    over 2 years ago

    4 comments

    Well, I find this whole story RIDICULOUS.
    You were lucky- a possessive best friend and a possessive boy friend? A "mature" woman (How do you call yourself "mature" by the way?) would have dealt with this by managing both.

    In most countries, people live as families, with everyone being possessive. A possessive child and a possessive husband. Worse case, two possessive children asking you to make a choice between them? Would you make a choice here? You won't right- because they both are yours.

    But you decided to forgo the friendship. You let down a friend. Period.

    I acknowledge what she did is inappropriate. What she asked you to do is equally inappropriate? But why did this happen? 'Coz she is so fond of you? You decided to dump a friend because she is so fond of you? Over-attachment can be a problem, but you should learn to manage it.

    Perhaps she said it, not becoz she is not getting your time or she is jealous of you, either way, she is vulnerable to feelings and insecurities as well. Just like you feel proud of him, she can feel jealous of you. Both are not down-to-earth, wise-man or godly feelings . Both are the typical human thots- Pride and jealousy. But you want to keep breaking relationships like breaking glasses? Learn to put up with different kinds of people. No wonder Americans have so many break ups and divorces and such unpleasant lives.

    You should have told her that I firmly believe that my partner of choice is the right man and I wish , as a friend you trust me on this decision and I promise that I will make sure we are as close and as much updated about each other we were.

    You should have managed it. She was jealous or insecure, doesn't mean you should in a second, forget those years of messaging, hanging out together, emails, chats, dinners, days out, nights out, parties, dressing up together and what not.

    You could listen to a man who you just met who told you to get rid of that friend but you couldn't listen to a friend who you know for years? I am not asking you to listen to anybody. Listen to your own mind but keep everyone. Not body is to be thrown away.

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    Account Removed

    over 2 years ago

    I hate the fact that I can relate to this. But good for you. No one needs this sort of rubbish in their lives. I'm a guy and even guys get to go through this. The only difference being mine ended with a fist fight. Remembering the whole thing still pisses me off. But its good someone bothered to talk about this.

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