A goodbye letter written to a friend who hurt you is intended to be personal. This letter should specify what your friend did and let him or her know that you are severing the relationship. This letter can be as detailed or as simple as you want to make it based on your feelings and your relationship with your friend. You may want to offer your friend forgiveness in this letter, but that’s a personal decision.
It’s usually best to write a goodbye letter to a friend who hurt you after you’ve had a little time to put your thoughts together. This type of letter gives you the chance to freely express your feelings without arguments or justifications from your friend. It allows you to put into words how you’re feeling and gives you time to express yourself to someone who has done you wrong.
A goodbye letter to a friend who hurt you can give you closure and provide your friend with information on the specifics of what they did wrong. This is often a better alternative to an actual conversation because it’s one-sided, and you can speak the truth without dealing with immediate backlash from your friend.
What to Include
This letter is your opportunity to express your honest feelings, so it’s important to tell your friend exactly how you feel. You can include as many details as you feel comfortable with. Let your friend know the actions they did or the words they said that hurt you. Tell them how it made you feel and let them know that you’re no longer comfortable maintaining a friendship with them because of their words or actions. If you are open to reconnecting in the future, which is a decision you have to make on your own, you can also include that in your letter.
Warnings
This type of letter will be personal because it’s between former friends. But it’s essential to use some restraint when writing your letter. It’s usually best to take a couple of days or even weeks from the time your friend hurt you before writing your letter. This type of letter will be emotional, but it’s helpful to keep in mind that you want to get your point across without causing additional turmoil in the former friendship.
Tips
Remember that you can forgive someone without letting them back into your life. If you truly never want to speak to your former friend again, let them know that you are permanently terminating your relationship. You can explain how you don’t want toxic people in your life. This letter can be casual in format. You don’t necessarily need to write in standard letter format with headings, contact information, etc.
Important Points
In writing your goodbye letter, be sure to address the specific actions your friend did that hurt you. Some people prefer to start their letter on a positive note with a nice memory of something you enjoyed doing together. This is optional and will depend on how hurt you are by your friend’s actions.
Goodbye Letter to a Friend Who Hurt You (Format)
{Date}
Dear {Friend’s name},
This letter is very hard for me to write. Our friendship has meant a lot to me over these past {insert number of years you were friends} years. But now I think it’s time for us to part ways. When you {insert what your friend did to hurt you}, I realized that I could no longer be friends with you.
I’m writing to tell you goodbye and to get some closure for myself. I’m not sure if we will ever be in contact again. I do forgive you, but I just can’t forget what you’ve done to hurt me.
Sincerely,
{Your Name}
Sample Goodbye Letter to a Friend Who Hurt You
June 3, 2020
Dear Sasha,
We’ve had a lot of fun over the past 5 years. You’ve been there for me during some very hard times and I like to think that I’ve done the same for you. But recent events between us have ruined our friendship. It has been 2 weeks since we last spoke and I’m still very hurt by your actions. You betrayed me by telling others about personal things I told you. I was depending on you to keep those things to yourself.
I’m writing this letter to tell you goodbye. I can’t trust you anymore and I don’t think we should be friends. I do hope you find happiness in your life, but I can’t have people in my life who aren’t trustworthy. I am offering you my forgiveness. But I will not be able to forget what you did. I’m very hurt, and I hope you realize the problems I’m now facing in my life because of your actions. Please don’t contact me anymore.
Sincerely,
Jessica
Goodbye Letter to a Friend Who Hurt You (Word Template)
Conclusion
Writing a goodbye letter to a friend who hurt you can be a painful process. But it can also help you heal. Take some time to write this type of letter to be sure you’re expressing your thoughts to your former friend. This letter can be as personal as you feel comfortable with. It gives you the chance to have a final word or to offer forgiveness to your friend if you wish. You may also open up the opportunity to future contact if you feel comfortable doing so.