How to Strengthen Your Friendship

Having good friends is something we all want. The secret to surviving even the most trying situations is to surround yourself with supportive, healthy connections. We also want to be good to our friends and often worry about whether we are good enough. If you are worried about that, you are a good friend, because it demonstrates that you care about your friendships and want to be a good friend. In this article, we will look into the benefits of friendship and how to become the greatest friend.

1. Why is a good friend so important?

1.1. Friendship improves your physical health

Healthy relationships, it turns out, correlate to excellent physical health. Having a tight group of friends may reduce your chance of developing health issues such as diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Having strong social links may also help to reduce feelings of loneliness, which evidence shows can shorten your life span. A study from 2010 found that the probability of early mortality from any cause is halved among persons who have strong social ties.

1.2. Friendship brings emotional support

You can get through a difficult period much easier if you have someone to lean on for advice and support. In addition, studies demonstrate that people’s happiness spreads via social circles. According to recent research, students who were sad were twice as likely to recover if they had companions who were joyful. For similar reasons, having “good mood” buddies decreased the risk of youngsters developing depression by half.

1.3. Friendship reduces stress

Stress is a normal part of life, but when it becomes excessive and long-lasting, it may have a negative impact on your health. According to Harvard Medical School, having close friends might help you cope with stress. Fun activities and talks with friends give emotional support and a break from the stresses of daily life. People who don’t have companions to count on in tough times are more likely to turn to unhealthy coping techniques like alcohol or drugs.

1.4. Friendship builds your self-confidence

Everyone experiences feelings of self-doubt and insecurity at some point. You may not realize it, but having supportive friends may have a significant impact on your self-esteem. When you’re feeling hesitant, a supportive buddy might help you feel more secure by praising and reassuring you. As a result, the world will see how extraordinary you are and how much you can contribute to the world.

1.5. Friendship encourages healthy habits

Friendships may help you make lifestyle adjustments that have a direct influence on your well-being. For example, your friends can help you set and maintain goals to eat better and exercise more. Additionally, they may keep an eye out for you and alert your loved ones if your bad habits (like excessive drinking) begin to escalate. Exercise and weight loss programs are more likely to be maintained if they are carried out in conjunction with another person. When you have a companion at your side, it’s a lot easier to go out and stay active.

2. How to become a good friend

2.1. Be a good listener

Most of our communication consists of a few individuals waiting for their moment to talk. We don’t listen to each other. Even if you hear the words someone speaks, information transfer doesn’t imply communication.

A good friend should learn to listen, and they should have the ability to recognize when to talk and when to keep a low profile. Try to see things from your buddy’s perspective. Asking the right questions might help you understand a problem or issue, but listening is the most important thing. Pay attention to your habits in conversation and be intentional about leaving space for your friends to speak. Don’t quickly assume your buddy is seeking your advice, they may just want to vent their feelings and find the solution on their own. What they really want to receive is your support and sympathy.

2.2. Tell them how you feel honestly

Being open and honest in a relationship involves telling your friends the truth, both about the big things and the little things. In order to be honest with your friend, you must be willing to speak about the things that are on your mind, such as things your friends have done that are upsetting you, things you did that you know your partner would be unhappy about. When you’re being honest, you’re letting your friends know who you really are and what you really think and feel.

But you don’t have to be honest in a manner that makes someone feel bad. Let’s say your buddy thinks she looks amazing in her new outfit, but you don’t think so. That’s OK, but keep it to yourself.

2.3. Show your trustworthy

To build a solid friendship, you need to be responsible, reliable, and trustworthy. Don’t make promises if you know you won’t be able to keep them. If you make a promise, do you best to keep it. It is preferable to say, “I don’t think I can make it on Saturday night, but let’s grab lunch next week,” rather than claiming you will go and then accepting another offer or canceling at the last minute.

2.4. Maintain respect and respectful boundaries

If you have been friends for a long time, there will be disagreement for sure. Sometimes your buddy may feel offended by what you do or say, or maybe they have done something to upset you. In any case, close friends should openly discuss and resolve their problems.

Another rule of thumb to keep in mind is to think twice before you speak, particularly if you’re enraged or irritated. Taking a breather before speaking may save you from saying anything that would hurt someone else’s emotions or damage your own self-esteem. Friends will trust you more if they feel free to be themselves around you. Make sure you use the appropriate words, even if they’re your closest friends.

2.5. Give them your time

Friendships are formed via shared experiences and quality time spent together. A good friend is someone who makes time for you and prioritizes spending time with you. As a true friend, you’ll always look for ways to make the most of your time together by planning exciting and memorable activities.

Demonstrate to your buddies that you want to be around them. Make it a point of seeing your friends on a regular basis, like once a week or once a month. Scheduled meetings are less organic and spontaneous than unscheduled ones, but you are more likely to show up if you have previously noted the time in your calendar. Having frequent get-togethers with your pals is a certain way to strengthen your friendships. If your buddy is a long distance away, send them an email, speak with them on IM, call them, and organize a weekend get-together. Spending time for your pals shows them that they are an essential part of your life.

When it comes to becoming a good friends, we don’t have all the answers we’d want. While certain aspects of friendship are unquestionably more significant than others, everyone has their own expectation and requirements, and just because you’re good friends with someone doesn’t mean you’ll be good friends with everyone. There are, however, certain common aspects of friendship that you can focus on to ensure that you are the best friend you can be, such as trust and communication.