Since I was a little girl, I have wanted to be well liked... as in I wanted everybody to like me. I've realized as I've gotten older that it is an impossible task. But that doesn't make it hurt any less when someone has decided they don't like me, especially when that person used to be a friend.

Let's get a little personal here. I was once friends with this girl who I had known throughout middle and high school. We became closer during our college years until, quite suddenly, I was deleted from her life entirely. A couple of years later, she apologized and said she wanted to be friends again... Only to delete from social media and cut off contact once again.

Not only was it painful, it was confusing. I blamed myself, assuming that I must have done something to upset her. And now, a few years later, I still wonder what she thinks of me and how our friendship could have grown over time. I've tried to reach out to her to no avail and while it is difficult to let bygones be bygones and move on, that is what needs to be done in this situation.

And I'm sure I'm not alone in this.

Many of us have wondered why certain relationships faded away or why someone who was once a friend no longer likes us. No one can answer those questions except for the former friend, but we can learn how to accept what has happened and move forward.

First: forgiveness.

Sometimes our pride is what keeps us holding onto these lost friendships. We don't want to believe that someone might not like us because that might mean we aren't perfect –– which we know, but we don't want to have it thrown in our faces, right? But we have to overcome that and realize that it may not have to do with you specifically. Maybe they are going through a tough time and don't know how to handle it, or perhaps they just don't feel as though they connect with you anymore. Forgive them for how they have made you feel.

After forgiveness, it's time for a little bit of self-reflection. Were there times when you weren't such a great friend? Are there instances where you could see the friendship fading? Look for what may have gone wrong in the friendship; even if you can't salvage this one, it might provide a valuable lesson for the future. (And sometimes you can pinpoint these things... That's okay, too.)

The last, and hardest, thing to do is let go of the friendship. 

I've still not mastered this, as I do occasionally go out and check my former friend's Facebook page when something about her pops up in my newsfeed, but I'm slowly releasing my grip. In this situation, I don't think there is anything I could have done to salvage our relationship, so I've just had to stop worrying about what she might think of me and what transgressions she might feel that I've committed. I pray for her and hope that one day we can reconnect and possibly discuss what happened and what went wrong.

This isn't a perfect handbook for how to move on from a failed friendship because there is no handbook, especially not a perfect one. The process is hard and painful and you may never get true closure. What you can do it take care of yourself and allow yourself to feel your emotions, as well as work through them and learn from them.

If you've dealt with a similar situation, I'd love to hear what happened and how you handled it in the comments below.