When Friendships Change During Healing (And How to Handle It)
One of the quieter challenges of healing is that it can shift your relationships, sometimes in ways you didn’t expect.
Why Friendships Change
As you grow, your priorities, boundaries, and values may shift. Some friends will celebrate that growth with you; others may feel uncomfortable or left behind.
It’s not always about conflict, sometimes it’s simply about moving in different directions.
Signs a Friendship Is Shifting
- You no longer feel safe being yourself
- Conversations feel one-sided or draining
- Your new boundaries aren’t respected
- The connection feels more like a memory than a present reality
Navigating the Changes
- Acknowledge the grief - even positive changes can hurt
- Communicate honestly if the friendship matters to you
- Let go with kindness when it’s time to move on
- Make space for new connections that align with who you are now
It’s natural for relationships to evolve. Healing often makes space for deeper, more authentic friendships.
You might also like [Self-Abandonment: How We Lose Ourselves] or [What I Wish I’d Known at the Start of My Healing Journey].
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What I Wish I’d Known at the Start of My Healing Journey
Looking back, there are things I wish someone had told me when I first started working through my own pain. It’s Not About Getting Back to Who You Were Healing isn’t about returning to an old version of yourself - it’s about becoming someone new, shaped by
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