5 Small Things You Can Do to Help a Friend Get Over a Breakup

Photo by Rémi Walle on Unsplash

Breakups are rough. They hurt like a punch to the chest and just when it seems like there’s a light at the end of a tunnel, suddenly you are back at square one. If your friend is going through the pain of heartbreak, here are some small things you can do to help ease the pain.

Listen to Them Vent

Listen to your friend vent, but don’t make them into the victim. Even if they have been wronged, spewing hate about their ex won’t help the problem. Listen to what they have to say and don’t add fuel to the fire. Give them space to vent.

Check-In

After a breakup, everyone rushes to the rescue, spewing sentiments like “I’m here if you need me.” The fact is, your friend probably does need you but not just for the first week while the wound is fresh. She’ll need you in a month’s time when she realizes her favorite TV show is ruined because of the memories. That’s when it’s time to check-in and offer support.

Help With the Reinvention

Getting a post-breakup haircut may be one of the biggest cliches in the book, but reinvention can be genuinely cathartic. If your friend is into the idea, join them on a shopping spree and help them feel amazing.

Offer Them Something That Helped You

When going through heartbreak, it’s hard to hear “I know how you feel” because it usually feels like no one has ever felt as heartbroken as you are right here, right now. Instead, lend a book or a CD that helped you in your heartbroken moment. That way, you can offer solace without directly comparing their pain to your past experiences.

Be Practical

Finally, offer practical help when you can. Lots of people say “I’m here, whatever you need” but when you are heartbroken, it can be hard to know what you need. Instead of sharing sentiments, offer pragmatic suggestions to help pick them up. Even if they turn down your ideas, they will appreciate your effort to actually help.