Losing a friend is one of life's hardest obstacles. But you know the famous saying: friends come and go. It’s sad, but real -- everyone eventually loses a friend or two. It does make a difference, though, how that friend is lost. Sometimes there are things you can do and should do to save the friendship; other times it’s best if you accept that the friendship wasn’t healthy, and move on. Here are six situations wherein you might grow distant from/lose a friend, plus a little advice!

1. Moving physically away from them

Either they move or you move and you never see them again. Perhaps you (or they) change the workplace or school setting, or even travel to a new destination. However, utilizing technology can be a good way of regaining the connections you have lost.

2. Moving mentally away from them

There may just be some people whom you don’t consider friends anymore either because they, or you, have changed. People come and go and that’s okay. It could be that they no longer have the same personality you originally fell in love with, or perhaps your preferences have changed. Possibly their outlook on life has changed for the worse, and their situations have caused them to connect with the wrong people. It is important to understand that everyone goes through a human struggle, and understanding this struggle is what connects the rest of humanity. However, making an effort towards helping a friend may not always be fruitful. If friend(s) simply have a negative attitude towards you or you do not like their actions, you may also choose to LET THEM GO.

However, is it morally right to leave our friends because they are going through depression or abuse? That is up to the reader to decide. But here is something to consider:

Picture yourself as that depressed friend. Maybe you are shoving people away because you want to be alone. That is totally fine and every individual needs room to cope with personal problems. For some, not sharing issues with friends can be a solution. But being in complete darkness is another issue, which can in fact be bad for mental or emotional conditions. In these conditions, consulting with friends can actually be relieving -- euphoric even. Consider letting your friends know what you are going through so they know how to approach you and be your support system.

3. Shedding your old identity, so shedding your old friends

There are several people on this earth who are happy to change immensely. Maybe some aspects of their old selves were negative or not as bright as they had hoped for, and through new experiences they changed for the positive. When going through changes, people may let go of people that existed in their past in order to claim a brighter future for themselves. If you do lose connection with someone you still admire from the past, try to reconnect if possible. If not, continue in life creating the good bonds you had created previously.

4. Holding grudges/having bad feuds

It is okay to hold a grudge against someone. If you feel that that person has wronged you and do not wish to continue the relationship, that is your personal decision. Oftentimes, people see themselves in situations where they are unable to tie the strings back into their good old relationship due to small non-recurrent problems -- such as the friend's forgetting to attend a party, the friend's accidentally spilling your secret with no intentions of doing so, and so forth. Does this friend make you more upset than happy? Or, does this person actually help stimulate positive thoughts and give you the energy you need in life? If we see this friend all the time and they are genuinely sorry about their mistake and admit it, then maybe it is our duty and our fate to forgive them. It is your decision to forgive the friend, but be considerate when thinking about these problems and the contexts behind them.

5. Being too preoccupied with other tasks/no room for friends

Often when people are occupied with work, they tend to forget about their loved ones. It is incredibly important to balance time between work and the rest of life. During free time, one should consider checking up on loved ones to see how they are feeling, or meeting up in person, because communication is the key to a strong and healthy relationship.

6. You've become too wise

Maybe they were getting you involved in things you did not want to get involved in. Perhaps they were using peer pressure as a tactic to boost your social level, or theirs, although you have now realized it is totally okay for you to be yourself. (Everyone encountered that one friend who told you what to wear, what to say, where to go, who to talk to.) They were a bad influence on you, so you just let them go. Or maybe you are just getting wiser. You are now developing a better group of friends -- a better version of you.

So just know that it’s okay to change and that change is a part of life. Letting go of friends can sometimes be difficult, but can also be necessary. Judge for yourself whether you should stay away from a friend, or try to rekindle.