Sometimes, it can just be impossible for two people to downshift a romantic relationship to a platonic one. In this case, the best option might simply be to end all contact.
“Make it a clean break. Moving from dating someone to a ‘friend zone’ can be incredibly difficult, and the boundaries of the budding friendship are already blurred,” licensed mental health counselor Erin Parisi told INSIDER.
If you don’t think you or the other person can handle a friendship, the healthiest way forward may be to just part ways for good.
Turning a casual dating relationship into a no-strings-attached sexual arrangement might sound like a fun and easy way to avoid a difficult breakup talk. However, you should consider the ramifications before moving from one kind of undefined relationship to another.
“It’s not a clean break if you continue to hook up with someone you were dating. Moving from a non-official relationship to a friends-with-benefits situation doesn’t have clearer boundaries, it may even have less clear boundaries,” warned Parisi.