Heartbreak sucks, and now, it's your friend's turn. This has fundamentally rocked their foundation. The person who used to whisper sweet nothings, who helped choose what was for dinner, who was their most trusted person during trivia game nights, has left them. And, unfortunately, you’re the one left holding the hot potato. Here’s a quick guide on what to do when your friend gets broken up with.

Acknowledge the heartbreak

Your friend’s significant other ate up a lot more free time than you realized. During this period of recovery and recuperation, it’s important that you calculate exactly how much time has been freed up in their schedule.

Help them keep a routine

A clear and documented sign of depression is discontinuing activities or rituals that used to give you joy. If your friend gives up hobbies that you know for a fact that they used to enjoy, that’s a clear warning sign. They may not appreciate you for this at first, but over time, your friend will thank you for helping them not quit their passionate

Pasttime. Figure out their next move

During this time of introspection, and personal growth, it's very important that you help your friend figure out exactly what it is they want to gain from this breakup. Are they going to try to get their partner back? Are they going to take a page from “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and try to remove them from their memory entirely? This is probably where your friend will want you to help out first. Figuring out the first step after a breakup can very well predict their ‘moving on’ trajectory.

Keep them away from social media

Social media is just complete toxic. Make sure they’re not following them on whichever platforms they consume. If your friend spends all their time obsessing over what their ex-posts… their world will crumble when an ambiguous person decides to join them in an intimately looking photo.

You can’t.

You can be the absolute best support system in the universe— but in the grand scheme of things, if your friend is not ready to get better they simply won’t. Encourage them to venture back out into the big bad world. Sure, it may cost you a few of your precious “alone nights” but before you know it, they’ll be telling you about that cute barista they’ve been chatting up at Starbucks.