I started working in my first real world job three months ago, and quickly became friends with the only other 20-something in our side of the office, Ceara, who is one of the coolest girls I’ve ever met. She recently got offered a job teaching theater at a school just down the street from her, and I honestly couldn’t be more excited for her – it’s a great opportunity. However, I did go through a couple stages of being less than thrilled. After all, the person I was closest to at the office (and who I carpooled with daily) was leaving me. She’s in her last two weeks and this is how I’ve been coping with it.

1. Excitement!

Your best friend is getting out! Whether or not you work in a hellhole, she’s moving onto bigger and better things. In my case, her dream job, and you could not be happier for her! This feeling never really goes away, and kind of encompasses all others you may feel in the time leading up to your best friend’s last day. Overwhelming happiness and sometimes giddiness on her behalf can also be expected.

2. Depression.

Your best friend is leaving you, alone, to deal with the drama and everyday politics of the office. Who are you going to chat with in the morning about the shit you’re dealing with at your desk? What are you going to do when the internet suddenly goes down and you’ve forgotten your book? Who are you going to mock people with on gchat when you should be working?! These are all serious questions that have to be dealt with. Especially if you are the only two 20-somethings in the office. I mean, yeah, there are other people you see and you’ll talk with, but your best friend won’t be there to chat every day.

3. Bargaining

It’s all going to be okay, because your best friend not being at the office means that you’ll see each other outside of work much more often. It’s at this point that you start planning all of the activities that you’re going to do together, whether it be double dates barbecuing, triple dates when you two and your respective S.O.’s try to unsuccessfully make your dogs be friends, music festivals in the summer, and plays in the fall. And without her being there to witness all of the office antics first hand, you’ll always have things to tell her at the end of a particularly difficult day.

4. Panic

This typically occurs around the time your friend puts in her two weeks and you realize how little time left you have of seeing her every. single. day. This will send you into a blind panic where you slightly freak out that you’ll never see each other, that your car will feel empty every day when she’s not in it. You’ll also start thinking about applying to jobs that are beneath you, just because you can’t bear the thought of being in that particular office without her. Once this occurs the first time, get ready for semi-regular feaux panic attacks until she leaves.

5. Acceptance

All those other feelings (except for the excitement) fade away and you realize that you met a great friend, and that that friendship isn’t going to just melt just because you two don’t share an office together. Now instead of just being office BFF’s, you can be actual BFF’s and do things on the weekends instead of just whining about how it’s only 3 and you still have 2 1/2 hours left.

Tags : Adulting, girls, Girlzone, Jobs, life, lifestyle, Millennials, Miscellaneous, office, ramblings, work