Helping a friend going through a divorce can be hard, especially if you have never gone through one yourself. If you are anything like me, you just want your friend to be happy again. Nonetheless, your friend needs you right now more than ever. Here are 7 tips to help your friend going through a divorce.
Your friend may have moments where she can’t think for herself. She can’t get through her day. She is going to need you to step in and take over. If she has children make sure they are taken care of and try to help her with the day-to-day things. This stage won’t last forever, but at this point she may be too emotionally drained to function.
She’s going to want to talk at some point. If you want to help a friend going through a divorce you have to be ready to listen. You may have to listen to the same story over and over again. She’s trying to work through her feelings. Just listen.
When helping a friend going through a divorce there are going to be times when your advice, as good and supportive as it may be, isn’t wanted. You can’t tell her what you would do, or what you think. She’s probably not ready to hear all that.
If you are a spiritual person you can pray for your friend. Even if your friend is a spiritual person too, she may not feel up to praying. She may even be too angry to pray. As her friend you can pray for emotional peace and healing.
If you want to help a friend going through a divorce remembers to have fun. She may be down in the dumps, but what she needs is a good time. This doesn’t mean to take your girl out and consume large amounts of alcohol. That’s a recipe for disaster. Take her to a movie, out to dinner, or just for ice cream. The point is to let her get away, enjoy life, and forget her problems in a positive way.
Remind your friend that she is a strong woman. Remind her how beautiful she is. Remind her that she is going through a tough time, but she will get past it and great things lie ahead. Help her to keep her head up and focus on moving past the hurt.
When all else fails and you can’t take it anymore, it’s okay to cry it out with your friend. She is letting go of a life she thought she would always have and letting go of the dreams they held for the future. It’s a lot to take in and easy to start to feel your friends emotions.
Some people say going through a divorce is like mourning a death. Keep that in mind when helping a friend going through a divorce. They are, in a sense, mourning the loss of their spouse. If you have any suggestions for helping a friend going through a divorce I’d love to hear them.
Top Image Source: pinterest.com