Having healthy friendships is important not only to your social life but to your mental wellbeing as well.
building good friendships can not only support you but can add great value.
Have you ever been through a tough time to think back that you don’t know how it could have gone if you didn’t have the supportive friendships around you?
Friendships make life enjoyable; they color the past with fun and cheery memories that last a lifetime.
Here are some principles to guild you to improve the relationships with the people close to your heart.
Compare these principles to see if there are any areas in your friendships that are already aligned or that can use a little improvement.
Just Be you
The best types of friendships are the ones that you can be without fear of judgments or criticisms.
Healthy friendships are built on support, if you feel like you can’t be upfront and honest about who you are then this friendship might not stand the test of time.
Remember that it is a two-way street. Healthy friendships are where everyone involved can relax, have fun and just be who they are.
Don’t ask, don’t tell
I know that there are times that you can get concerned about your friends and want to help.
Try to remember that everyone is solely responsible for their problems unless they ask you to chime in, do not.
Even if they might not tell you that you are overstepping your boundaries, they might not feel comfortable sharing personal details with you in the future.
Be genuinely happy for others
There are times when you might achieve something great and there are other times your friends might share with you their accomplishments.
Comparison is the thief of joy
Theodore Roosevelt
Everyone’s timeline of achieving something great in their personal life is different. Just because you might not achieve the same things at the same time does not mean it is not going to happen.
The face of jealousy is a very ugly look amongst friends.
Learn to be happy for others when your time hasn’t come yet.
If you are surrounded by people who can never be happy for you or try to downplay your achievements, it’s time to reevaluate those friendships.
It’s okay to have differences
There are times when you and your friends might not agree on certain viewpoints and that’s okay. It’s of great value to be able to gain insight into another’s perspective even if it’s different from your own. You get to learn from each other and understand that sometimes differences are okay too.
Respect the fact that others might not think the same as you, just like you would want the same respect with your own opinions. Don’t be so quick to change your friend’s opinions, listen to what they have to say, and agree to disagree.
Show Gratitude
Even though you might be friends throughout the test of time, it’s still a good idea to let them know from time to time how much this friendship means to them. Sometimes it is just nice to hear that you are appreciated just for being you, don’t you agree?
Pick and choose your battles
Not every battle is worth the fight. If a friend has maybe said something that bothered you, mention it but then let it go. Friendships are not about keeping score of who hurt who the most.
Sometimes a simple apology should do the trick. The thing with apologies is that when once made you both accept and move on. It does not make sense to have to over apologize or have to keep hearing the same apology for the same problems.
Balance of give and take
There should be a balance of equal give and take in all friendships. When it is off balance and one side is either taking too much or giving too much it strains the friendships and people in them.
Friendship is about having people in your life that whom you can share fun times. Nobody is responsible for your happiness as well as you to theirs.
Sometimes life gets busy, we all get busy from time to time.
Don’t forget about the people who were there to support you and help you when you needed it. Don’t let friendships run their course just because you are too busy to send a quick text to say, ‘’Hey I’ve been busy, but was just thinking of you. How are you?’’
You never know how much you can brighten someone’s day just to say a quick hello.
Freedom
Have you ever been a tad bit jealous when you see your best friend hanging around other friends?
Realize that they have the freedom to do so and so do you. This does not mean that they will care about you any less just because there are other friends around.
When we hold on too tightly to friendships, we can suffocate the relationship.
Nobody likes to be controlled or smothered. If you start to feel yourself tightening the reigns, then it’s time for you to put that focus back into yourself.
One of the reasons why your friends like to hang around you is because they feel good being around you, when you start to get too controlling you make others feel uncomfortable and you start to change your vibes.
Soon everyone is stressed. Give people the freedom to make their own choices.
