Listen Live
St Jude banner
CLOSE

8 Do’s and Don’t’s of Helping a Friend Through a Breakup

By Babble.com | Love + Sex – 10 hours ago

Your friend just got dumped and it was ugly-bad.

You never liked him anyway, right? The problem is, she did. A lot. And between shoveled mouthfuls of Häagen-Dazs, she’s shared her plans to adopt half a dozen stray cats so she won’t have to die alone.

What’s a bestie to do? Before you push her into rebound sex or watch The Notebook one more time, consider these do’s and don’ts of helping a friend through a breakup.

Do let her mourn

She planned on having 100 babies and growing old with this jerk. Allow her time to grieve.

Don’t let her…

…cut her hair, get a tattoo, or sleep with some random dude. Just don’t.

Do join the pity party

You haven’t seen this much junk food since cramming for finals in college. Good friends join in the pig-out pity party and vow to lose the weight together…someday.

Don’t offer advice or speak in clichés

Unless she specifically asks for your advice (and even then I’d be really careful), keep your opinions to yourself. And please, avoid the “Plenty of fish in the sea/It wasn’t meant to be/True love finds a way” BS.

Do bring wine

Bring whatever wineage you’ve got on hand, STAT! No time for a visit to the liquor store – she needs you now!

Don’t contact him

I repeat, DO NOT contact him. Even if she begs you through ugly, crying puppy dog eyes, refuse to get in the middle of their relationship.

Do rally the troops for fun

No matter how good it feels to wallow in cheap wine and sad movies, those things never once healed a broken heart. Round up your friends and engage in a healthy distraction from heartache woes. The wine and Ryan Gosling will still be there when she gets back.

Don’t set her up on a date…

…either deliberately or otherwise. She’ll rebound when she’s good and ready.

 

Original Story