DETROIT (WXYZ) — In the years, months, weeks and days leading up to the 2024 general election, some families and friends faced fractures in relationships that split along party lines.

It could have been as simple as unfriending someone on social media, leading to disruption between coworkers or family members.

“A good friend decided he couldn’t be our friend anymore because he didn’t like our political beliefs,” one woman wrote on our WXYZ-TV Channel 7 Facebook page.

Another viewer wrote: “I think this is ridiculous. People fight over this and relationships are ruined. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. People who attack this are not good people people.”

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“I feel good that it’s finally over. It feels like a lot,” said Michelle Satanvy, who chooses to protect her peace instead of blocking and unfriending. “We are all people, we all come from different situations…if you disagree, just scroll down. This is not the time to ruin the relationship or delete someone from ‘friend.”

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“Of course, you always have friends and family who may not feel the same way as you,” Meredith Mcilhargey said. “My parents and I have always been on different sides in different elections.”

7 News Detroit reporter Christiana Ford spoke with clinical psychologist Dr. Moten, who suggests having an open conversation with the other person and focusing on shared values ​​and common ground.

“If we can focus on these shared values, we may be able to avoid a lot of the potential difficulty that the next few days and certainly the next few weeks will have in navigating these relationships,” Moten said.

Click the video above to hear more from Moten and others as they try to move their relationships forward.