When is it time to end a friendship?

Anne* never purposely ended any friendships she had, but when she felt that she wasnt too happy with how a relationship was going, she would slowly ease herself out. I decided to stop seeing them as often, she says. They re still my friends but I don t invest as much time in them anymore because I !now that being with them won t help me be a better person. "ith people li!e that, I guess I #ust drift away from them and slowly stop seeing them.

How to end it Although $ica and Anne #ust drifted away without any confrontation, %ana felt the need to tal! to her friend. I e&pressed my disappointment in the way she acted and when she still didn t ac!nowledge how I felt about it and #ust !ept on with how negatively she was acting towards me, I #ust eased myself out of the friendship, she says. It might sound harsh to cut ties cold tur!ey, but at that point I felt no remorse for our friendship. Although Anne doesnt li!e losing her friends, she admits that in the past, some have actually done a few things she felt she couldnt live with. Thats when shed tell herself, '!ay, thats it. It s time to stop hanging out with this person. (owever, she doesnt close herself off completely. I always find myself being friends with them again after a while, she says. I guess it s because I miss the friendship, but when we become friends again, I am well aware of the hurt that the person caused me and I become more cautious when I m around her. I !now things are never going to be the same again. "e ll never be as close as we were because I don t want to be hurt again.

Lessons learned "eve all had our share of friendship lessons, but heres what stand out for the three girls when it comes to ending a friendship. If you do end up fighting with a friend, you should really weigh the pros and cons and decide if you want to fi& things or #ust leave them as they are, says Anne. )ometimes, a fight can help strengthen a relationship and can be healthy. I learned that friends could have wor! ethics that are far from favorable, says $ica. *oney can reveal a surprising side to people, even friends whom you thin! you !now +uite well. I guess doing business with friends means restructuring a new form of relationship altogether. And li!e ma!ing new friends, this re+uires compatibility, respect, and a bit of luc!.

,riends are there for a reason, season, or a lifetime, says %ana. $egardless of how long they become a part of your life, #ust be grateful for the good times and learn to let go when your gut tells you it s time.