Friends growing apart can be a bad sign for some people and a natural part of life for others. Whether it’s okay depends on your specific circumstances and how willing both of you is to work on your friendship.
Friends grow and change as they move through life. They have different interests and have to make difficult decisions about the future. Sometimes, friends may grow apart instead of remaining close friends.
This can feel awkward, especially if you are the one who is growing in a different direction from your friend. You might wonder if it’s okay to have friends growing apart, or if this is a sign that the friendship isn’t healthy or not worth your time.
No friendship lasts forever, and most people understand that their circle of friends will evolve over time. However, many friendships end because one person stops trying to stay close or puts so much distance between them that it strains the relationship to the breaking point.
What does growing apart mean?
If two friends are growing apart, they are becoming less similar to one another over time. This can happen for a variety of reasons. Maybe you have different tastes in movies, music, and books, or have different interests in life.
You might have different hopes, dreams, and goals for your future. Your ideas and values may not align. It’s also possible that you have different opinions about politics, religion, and other important topics.
Growing apart does not necessarily mean that you have bad or negative feelings for one another. You may still care about each other a lot but have simply developed different interests over time.
Sometimes, friends grow apart because people simply have different amounts of time and energy to spend on friendships. You may have so many friends that you don’t have enough time to maintain your relationships with all of them.
You may have so many extracurricular activities going on that you don’t have time to catch up with your friends as often. It may also be that you and your friend just don’t have much in common anymore.
When is it okay to have friends growing apart?
It’s okay to have friends growing apart if everyone is okay with it. You should not feel like you need to put pressure on your friend to rekindle your relationship if they don’t want to.
You should not feel like you need to break off your friendship if your friend does not want to stay close. Instead, you should both be okay with having a less frequent and less intense friendship.
If one of you has a new interest that takes up a lot of time, you may have to let the other person go, even if the friendship was once very close. This can be okay. You might have a friend who is really into a new sport or hobby, and you don’t have the time or interest to participate.
Meanwhile, you don’t have to end the friendship because you don’t want to spend as much time together. I mean, you can still be friends and maintain a healthy, positive relationship even if you aren’t as close as you once were.
When is it not okay to have friends growing apart?
It is not okay to have friends growing apart if one person wants to be friends but the other person doesn’t. You should not feel pressured to let go of a friendship if you want to stay close but your friend does not.
Neither of you should feel like you have to change your friendship because you are growing in different directions. If your friend doesn’t want to keep up, it may be because they are not ready for a friendship, not because they are ready. This can be confusing, especially if they say they want to be friends but don’t seem to follow through.
If you are the one who doesn’t want to keep up with a friendship, it’s not okay because you are being unkind. You are not respecting your friend’s feelings by letting the relationship die out. You are not treating your friend with respect if you are letting the friendship drift away when they want to keep it strong.
Be civil?
If you have friends growing apart, you can make the relationship feel good for both parties by following a few simple guidelines. First, talk to your friend about how you feel. Let them know how their interests have changed and how you feel about the situation.
Ask your friend what they want out of the friendship. You may be able to come up with some activities and outings that you can both enjoy. If you spend time together but are not as close as you once were, you can still have an enjoyable friendship.
First, make sure that you’re not the one who is responsible for the change in your relationship. As we mentioned above, sometimes two friends simply have less time to spend together compared to before.
If you think that this is the case, don’t feel bad that you can’t hang out more often. Let your friend know that you want to keep the friendship strong, but it’s hard to find the time.
I think it’s normal
Friends growing apart can feel awkward, but it’s important to remember that it’s not always someone’s fault. Everyone changes over time, and you can’t control how your friend will feel or what they want from their friendships.
You can still be friends with someone even if you don’t hang out as often as you used to. It’s okay to have friends growing apart if everyone is okay with it, and there are ways to make it feel good for everyone.
