Things to Remember , When a Friendship Ends.<br />NPR spoke with the author of 'Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make — And Keep — Friends,' Marisa Franco.<br />She gave advice if you're dealing with losing a friend. .<br />1. Remember that things simply fizzle out sometimes, A 2009 study found that on average, every seven years, people lose close to half of their friends.<br />Nobody really necessarily wanted <br />the friendship to end, but people kind <br />of got busy and didn't intentionally <br />maintain the friendship, Marisa Franco, author of 'Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make — And Keep — Friends,' via NPR.<br />2. Say things you've withheld, Address issues instead of pulling away.<br />For me, ... in the past I would withdraw, and <br />thus the friendship would no longer be <br />sustainable. But now I know that if I want to <br />withdraw, that's a sign. That's a sign that I need <br />to have a conversation about something, Marisa Franco, author of 'Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make — And Keep — Friends,' via NPR.<br />3. Grief over a lost friendship is normal, Allow yourself the time to feel these emotions.<br />We think ... What's wrong with me? Instead of <br />being like ... of course I'm sad. Of course I'm <br />upset. Like I lost someone I'm very close to. <br />That means I love them deeply. .... This is <br />a natural part of intimacy and loss, Marisa Franco, author of 'Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make — And Keep — Friends,' via NPR.<br />4. Express your emotions, Grief doesn't have a timeline.<br />Grief is just a process of continuously <br />releasing emotion and little nuggets over time. <br />If there's a friend that makes me feel safe, <br />and no matter what you share with them, <br />they're going to validate it and acknowledge <br />the extent of the loss, Marisa Franco, author of 'Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make — And Keep — Friends,' via NPR.<br />5. Be nice to yourself, The loss of the friendship isn't necessarily <br />your fault and doesn't mean you won't <br />have other meaningful friendships.<br />Just because this happened like this doesn't <br />mean more friendships will happen like this, Marisa Franco, author of 'Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make — And Keep — Friends,' via NPR
