By now, I’m sure you’ve heard of “friend-dumping” — when two friends grow apart and one person initiates a split, much like in a romantic break-up. The truth is, sometimes a friendship breakup can feel even worse than being dumped by a significant other.
If you’re a victim of friend-dumping, it’s natural to feel a little depressed. But in reality, it may not be as bad as you think. In fact, it might be the best thing to ever happen to you.
And I’m speaking from experience here. I was recently friend-dumped and I’m not gonna lie, initially it kind of crushed me. One of my closest friends and I had started growing apart, and although I kept my hopes up that everything would end up okay, it was obvious that our friendship was dying out. One night, it all came to a head over a single conversation. What started as an attempt to talk through our differences led to a semi-blowout. In the midst of it all, my (ex-)friend dropped the harshest truth bomb:
“I don’t want to be your friend.”
It stung. I blinked out a stream of tears as those words repeated over and over again in my head. I felt like I had done something wrong, like I was the one at fault.
But when I really thought about it a few days (and a few tears) later, I realized I wasn’t in the wrong. Even though my friend could have sugar-coated his statement for the sake of my feelings, he wasn’t technically in the wrong either. People grow apart, and that’s okay. In fact, being friend-dumped can actually be a blessing. Here’s why.
You can focus on yourself
If you are let go by a close friend you’re used to hanging out with on the reg, it can be a big adjustment to stop hanging out with them. But really, that just means you can start doing things by yourself — whatever you want, whenever you want. Learning how to do things alone is actually very healthy and will make you a stronger person (trust me). Plus, it gives you way more freedom. You can pick where to grab dinner or drinks and take as long as you want to get ready without anyone complaining. Enjoy that freedom, girl. You deserve it.
