Friendships, just like people, come in many different shapes and sizes and can change over time. Sometimes a friendship changes because one person moves away, develops new interests or hobbies or maybe even because of a traumatic event. In a healthy friendship, both people should be able to support each other and talk about how they’re feeling. So if you’re not feeling like your friendship is healthy anymore, even though it can be difficult to stop being close to a good friend, it can help to talk about your feelings with that friend or a trusted adult.

This can be a really difficult and sometimes painful situation! Whether you’re the one who wants to continue the friendship or the one who wants to end a friendship, it can be hard to talk about these things without hurting another person or feeling hurt yourself. One important part of a healthy friendship is feeling like you’re both equals. So if one person is much more interested in the friendship than the other, it’s going to be difficult to have a healthy friendship. Talking with a trusted adult about these situations—how they make you feel and what to do about them—can be helpful.

A friend is someone who cares about and wants to support you. So if there’s something you want to talk about with your friend, keep in mind that your friend wants what’s best for you, even if talking about it is hard. To start the discussion, you can tell your friend that there is something you want to talk about. Find some quiet time to talk. It can help to practice what you want to say by yourself, either by writing it down or talking aloud. It can also help to talk with trusted adults who can share valuable experience or advice to help you through the situation. The bottom line is that healthy friendships include showing respect for each other and supporting each other, even though you may not always agree.