5 Things You Can Do

• Listen, listen listen - For the next little while, your problems don't exist. Your job is to be an ear for your friend and let him or her vent.


• Be available - Clear your schedule wherever possible for the first month or so post-breakup. Your friend will rely on you for long phone calls, movie nights, coffee dates and whatever else they need to get over the breakup.


• Be the voice of reason - If your friend calls you at midnight with plans to send a ranting email, or take a crowbar to the ex's windshield, it's your job to talk them out of it.


• Provide a swift kick where it's most needed - Be sensitive, but don't let your friend to wallow in his or her darkened apartment for too long. Encourage them to get out of the house to do new things and meet new people.


• Turn on your inner cruise director - Plan outings that will help take your friend's mind off the breakup and get them out of the house. Anything from a shopping trip and lunch to a weekend away can help.

5 Things You Can't Do

• Don't bash the ex - Your friend needs to vent, but joining him or her in the ex bashing will only prolong it. Be there to listen, but don't join in.


• Don't rush your friend through mourning - Phrases such as "You need to move on" or "You need to get out there" mean nothing in the first weeks following a bad breakup. Give your friend time to grieve and be sensitive to the fact that it may be months before they want to even consider dating.


• Don't give specific advice - Leave the dating advice to Dr. Love. Your job as a friend is to listen and not dole out dating tips. Though you may mean well, what works for you may not work for your friend.


• Don't encourage too many wild nights out - A few nights out at the bar post-breakup are fine, but be careful that you're not encouraging your friend to drown his or her sorrows at the bar or in one-night stands. This can lead to major problems down the road.


• If you're happy, keep it to yourself - If you are in a solid relationship, refrain from discussing it in great length, or worse, using it as an example for your friend. Shoving your happy love life in his or her face would be like rubbing salt in the wound.

Read More 4 comments | Posted by naqib