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By Sonal Nain and Cameron Schoppa
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Grieving a Friendship Breakup? Here's How to Heal Without Shame
By Sonal Nain
Ross and Rachel may have been talking about romance when they declared, "We were on a break!" but the line lands just as hard when it comes to friendships. The end of a close friendship—whether sudden or gradual—can surface in the folds of daily life, from a song you used to listen to together to routines you once shared.
To understand why the loss cuts so deep, Newsweek speaks with Danielle Bayard Jackson, a women's friendship expert.
Jackson, an author of Fighting for our Friendships: The Science and Art of Conflict and Connection in Women's Relationships, says that research shows women often integrate friendships into their lives almost like family—like a sibling or a cousin. "There's real grief because that friend is so intertwined in the fabric of their life—socially, emotionally, spiritually."
Jackson also notes unlike romantic relationships, friendships rarely start with an awareness of risk. "Friendships build momentum naturally, so when a friendship ends, it's difficult to reconcile expectations with reality."
She talks about practices and habits that can help people process grief after a friendship breakup:
- Give yourself space to grieve: Don't minimize your feelings or shame yourself. Communicate to your support network that you're genuinely sad and need space to process. Social support is essential as losing a friend is losing a source of support.
- Practice gratitude: Identify one thing you're grateful for from the friendship. Even something small—like shared music or support during a tough time—can soften resentment and help you move forward.
- Avoid over-rehearsing the breakup: Constantly replaying texts, conversations, or scenarios with mutual friends isn't helpful. At some point, acceptance is key: "I may never fully understand, but I'm grateful for what we had."
- Reframe your thinking: Many women internalize friendship breakups as personal failures, asking themselves, "What's wrong with me?" Remember: relational success isn't measured by longevity. A meaningful friendship can be valuable even if it ends.
- Adopt new routines and hobbies: If your friend was deeply integrated into your social life, changing routines can help. Explore new interests or venues that weren't part of your friendship. This allows for fresh connections and energy without trying to replace the friend.
- Manage social media: Constantly checking a former friend's posts fuels resentment and sadness. Mute or block as needed. Ask yourself: "Is this habit helping me heal, or just keeping me stuck?"
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How Digital Screens Harm Your Eyes—and Simple Ways to Protect Them
By Katherine Fung
When we talk about unplugging, detoxing and setting time limits these days, we're no longer referring to cables, dieting or deadlines. The way we describe our relationships with technology suggests we're being plagued by the endless scrolling and the constant notification in our digital lives.
On average, Americans spend 5 hours and 16 minutes on their phones every day, a 2025 report from health data management firm Harmony Healthcare IT found. And yet, more than half say they want to cut down on phone usage.
The consequences of screen addiction are most often associated with feelings of anxiety and depression, raising serious concerns about the mental health toll of being online.
But the physical impacts are just as real.
Nearly 7 in 10 Americans said they experienced phone-related health issues in the last year—the most common issue being eye strain, a condition that was reported in more than 4 in 10 Americans. Read the full story.
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Scientist Studied 4,330 Centenarians, Found Two Things They Have in Common
By Soo Kim
Living to 100 isn't just luck—it may come with what scientists are calling a "superhuman ability" to fend off disease.
A new study from Sweden's Karolinska Institutet tracked the health of residents born between 1920 and 1922 for up to 30 years. The standout finding? Centenarians didn't just live longer—they stayed healthier, racking up fewer diagnoses and accumulating diseases more slowly than their peers.
The differences showed up surprisingly early. By age 60, the future centenarians were already charting their own path, with distinct patterns in the number and type of illnesses—and even in biomarker values—according to lead author and epidemiologist Karin Modig.
So what's their secret?
Modig doesn't point to a magic pill. But the data suggest two powerful themes: a a healthy cardiovascular system and "feeling a sense of purpose." Read the story.
In other news...
- Early warning sign for aggressive cancers: A protein found in our cells could act as an early warning sign for aggressive cancers—and a new target for drugs to stop them spreading. Read more.
- Getting Zambia's young mothers back in school: Zambia has made significant strides in improving access to education since the government made education free in 2021. But girls still drop out of school at much higher rates than boys, with more than 16,000 girls reportedly leaving education every year due to early marriages and teenage pregnancies. Read the story.
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