How to End a Friendship
Friendship with some people can last lifelong. But in most cases you grow apart with your friend and don't feel as close as you were before, or something has changed and now you don't want to listen to your friend's complains for hours. You feel awkward about it and you understand, that ending your friendship would be the best way out of the situation. So how can you do it?There are only two ways, how you can break up with your friend. The first one looks like breaking up with a significant other, and it's actually what most people hate doing. Tears, broken heart and mixed feelings will accompany your friendship break-up, everything will be just like you've decided to leave your second half. Or you can make your friendship slowly fade out by rejecting your friend. You need only choose the way that will be the most acceptable for you.
Mostly people don't like hurting feelings of others, that's why they don't use the formal break-up. However, sometimes it's inevitable, especially if you know, that your friend does something very bad and you don't want them to be part of your life any more. Or you can use it in case if you and your friend know each other so well, that if you try to fade out, then they will start calling you all the time and asking what's wrong.
The formal break-up with your friend requires mostly the same words, that you would tell your second half before you say “Goodbye forever”. Yes, it's awkward, but you will end the relationship in a quick way, and both parties will know that everything is over. Accept, that your friend will be hurt or get angry with your rejection. Your task is to be constructive and stay on your own. You've made your decision, that's why don't even think about staying around your friend, just because they feel so bad. Your friend might want to discuss the situation with you and make you change your mind, but you have to leave and you understand it.
The way of active confrontation is very hard for many of us, besides, it can't be used with those friends, who are the part of your social circles, for instance, your co-worker, classmate or relative. In this case you can only use the way of passive rejection. Yes, it takes a long time, and you might feel very awkward due to the thought that you lie to your friend just to create the distance between two of you without explaining why you do it. However, it's the only way to keep the feelings of your friend unhurt.
Start slowly, because snapping out all relations in one day will make your friend feel bruised every time you meet again. So what you need to do is to become unavailable. Answer your friends calls, but tell, that you can't come or see them. Sometimes you can also miss their calls, and call them back reluctantly. Don't talk for hours about their or your problems, instead of this change the subject to something else after a few minutes. And if you use texting, then reply with a delay and give boring answers.
Whenever you meet your friend at a party, don't give them much personal attention, as you used to. And when it comes to conversation, use only general questions, or even don't ask your friend anything. Your answers to their questions should be dull and boring, that wouldn't make the conversation run.
The last step of breaking-up the friendship is deleting your friend from your social media circles, however, many people don't it at all. Leaving the old friends in the contact list doesn't mean anything at all, it just reminds about your social connections with this person you once had.