Reply To: How to move on?

Whenever a friendship ends, there’s a grieving process to get through – just like when you experience any kind of loss. Grief isn’t linear. You move through the stages in a nonlinear way – sadness for a bit then anger then back to sadness then and eventually you move on to acceptance. Since this was a friendship you wanted out of anyway, I wouldn’t think the grieving process will take much time for you. I would imagine your hurt feelings and anger are the feelings that are likely most prominent, and really, time will get you through them soon enough.

If you wanted to help the process along a little bit, you could write a letter to your friend (but don’t send it!), where you get all your thoughts down on paper and articulate what it is that has really upset you about the way you were treated. When you’re done, consider burning the letter (maybe over a sink or a bowl of water) and tell yourself that this chapter has ended and you honor the friendship for the lesson it taught you and now you release it so that you can move into a new chapter of peace.