Human beings are naturally social. It’s hard for someone to stay completely isolated from friends and family and still thrive at the same time. Family is the first foundation that most people get but then, having good friends is just as important.
Usually, many start off with a bunch of friends at the beginning but as time goes by, you end up with a handful that you can actually call your long term friends. It’s a blessing to still have the same friends you had way back once you reach old age.
Making friends is one thing but maintaining those friendships is a totally different story. You need to put in effort into maintaining that bond through different ways including the ones in this list.
Read on.
1.Check up on them often
The main purpose of building healthy friendships is having someone who genuinely cares about you. And you can’t truly know how someone else is feeling without taking time to talk to them regularly.
You might see their posts on social media and assume they’re happy when in real sense, they’re going through a tough time.
We all need someone who we can talk to and share with outside of the family or romantic relationship structure.
2.Put in more effort to meet up
When someone you’re close to keeps disregarding your plans to meet and catch up, it affects your relationship. It gives the impression that you’re not as important as you would think and that can create a rift in the end.
People have busy schedules and there’s nothing wrong with that. But, you should at least show that you’re putting in effort even when you can’t meet as often as you’d like.
3.Respect one another
Healthy friendships are those that have boundaries. It’s not all about having the happy-go-lucky attitude all the time because in real sense, respect is actually a sign of love.
You can show this by never insulting them or calling them derogatory names even when you’re experiencing conflicts, giving them space when they’re not in the mood to hang out or even respecting their decision of not disclosing personal information about their romantic partner.
The fact is that, no friendship can stand without having the foundation of respect.
4.Support their career goals
This is a huge area that can make or break a friendship. Of course, it’s great to have someone to talk to and confide in but, you should also show your support when it comes to the subject of careers.
If your friend has just started their business you can support them by encouraging them, buying one or two products instead of demanding free goodies, giving your genuine input or even connecting them with someone who you know they can network with.
People usually appreciate when they can count on you as part of their support system.
5.Mark their birthdays on your calendar
This might seem insignificant but who wouldn’t feel sad when their good friend disregards their birthday like it’s another day? Unfortunately, some people don’t get to live long enough to celebrate their birthday each New Year so this is a huge deal when you think about it.
Here, a simple birthday message or call would suffice because it shows you actually care in the first place. You might not have the funds to buy them a birthday gift but that’s not the whole point anyway.
What matters is that you’ve actually acknowledged their special day and for most people, that’s enough.
To be honest, it’s hard to automatically remember everyone’s birthday so you can just set a reminder on your phone to make sure you don’t forget.
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