In the third episode of our miniseries ‘Tough Talks’ Thea + Claire discuss the most underrated heartbreak: friendship breakups and breakdowns. Join us for a sad girl (not mad girl) episode, in which we discuss the lack of space given in society to grieve the loss of friendships.

We talk about accountability, self-awareness, and when it might be time to let a friendship go. We ask ourselves some tough questions: Imagine if we entered friendships in the same way that we do romantic relationships? When friends are the family you choose, how do you reconcile with it when they are no longer in your life?

An enlightening episode that challenged us to confront our internal monologues and communicate with the people who we hold nearest to us. With a positive spin to a painful topic, we encourage our listeners to nourish their friendships, have gratitude, and live presently within platonic relationships.

Tough Talks is a miniseries of the GMS podcast. Thea + Claire will be delving into the conversations which are hard to have. Coming to you cross-continentally, we can promise vulnerability and an air of pretending to know what we are talking about when we’re actually the people who need the advice. Our aim is to speak openly about topics many of us shy away from for fear of being wrong.

Disclaimer: We want to reiterate that we are not professionals; take what we have to say with a grain of salt (especially the ‘our unsolicited advice that we should listen to ourselves’ section). We are two young women with certain lived experiences, but acknowledge that our experience does not account for that experienced by everyone. It is vitally important to us that we acknowledge our privilege in having the ability to speak about certain issues. As always, these are complex and nuanced issues that are multifaceted in every respect. If you are struggling, we encourage you to seek advice from a health professional.

Episode notes:

• Love and Friendship Across the Lifespan, the importance of friendships for improving your quality of life, and your life expectancy: https://oxfordre.com/psychology/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780190236557.001.0001/acrefore-9780190236557-e-746
• Health benefits of friends: 
  • https://ro.co/health-guide/friends-and-longevity/
  • https://www.menshealth.com/health/a26326488/lifelong-friends-help-you-live-longer/
  • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5937874/
• Danielle Jackson quote: https://www.self.com/story/should-i-break-up-with-my-friend
• The book that has altered Claire’s brain chemistry: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/32998876

Make sure you follow GMS on instagram @getmestarted and join the 'Get Me Started Podcast Community' Facebook Group where you can be more involved in the show!! Any other questions, comments, or guest pitches can be sent via email to [email protected]