There’s no point in helping a friend get over their ex faster by telling them the reasons for -not- going through the proper steps of mourning for a relationship. They must experience every step of mourning before they can truly move on. From denial, to realization, to acceptance, to effort, to letting go and last but definitely not the least, moving on. By using logics to try and persuade them into skipping steps to “save themselves the pain” will only backfire in the long run. Thus, it is important that you practice patience and trust in your friend to be able to come out of this alive. What doesn’t kill you will only make you stronger. Words of reassurance and encouragement help, but persuasion into skipping to the last step does not. This will only lead to your friend lying to themselves and pretending to be “fine” and happy when they most definitely are not. This breaks the most basics of rules of friendship. Staying true to yourselves. Sure, if you lie to yourself enough times, you could eventually start to even believe your own lies, but the truth will always be in the back of your head. Your friend shouldn’t have to pretend to be fine for the likes of anyone. Set limits, time periods for when they’re allowed to feel like crap. But before it starts to become a habit for them, stop them. Let them know that there will always be people who love them, and people who care. That’s what’s most important. The support of a friend. Not hacks in life.