10 Tips On How To Be A Good Friend

Friendships are a valuable aspect of our lives. They are the people we share our laughter, tears of devastation and celebration, and our most awkward and embarrassing moments with. Throughout it all, these people are a major part of what makes our lives worth living.

However, life has a habit of constantly evolving and these sorts of changes along with the hustle and bustle of life can sometimes take a toll on our friendships. This can result in neglecting those who mean the most to us. In order to save these precious friendships and maintain the connections that we hold so dear to us, we must learn to cherish and spend time nourishing these relationships. Here are my 10 tips for becoming a better friend!

#1 Don't be a fair-weather friend!

Good friends stick around when the going gets tough. Give your friend a shoulder to cry on and watch sappy romance movies while devouring comfort food after their latest breakup.

#2 Be thoughtful.

You don't need a reason or a special occasion to do something nice for a friend. Surprise them with a visit at their work or do them a favor. The smallest gesture could completely turn their day around!

#3 Check-in on them.

We all like to know we're being thought of. Shoot your friend a text asking how their day was, what they've been up to lately or if they can meet up for drinks to catch up. Checking in shows just how much you care.

#4 Let them confide in you and subdue your judgments!

A good friend is a good listener who isn't quick to pass judgment on their friend or a situation their friend may be in.

#5 Be trustworthy!

Without being trustworthy, #4 in this list wouldn't even be a favorable quality. You shouldn't blab all your friend’s secrets, gossip about them behind their back or break your vow of silence when they turn to you in confidence.

#6 Don’t let something minuscule come between your friendship.

Whether it’s a “I saw him/her first situation” or a complete misunderstanding, don’t let something small and meaningless tear your friendship apart.

#7 Compliment your friends and refrain from negative comments.

It’s one thing to be honest about how your friend looks in an outfit, but brutally insulting them is on a whole other spectrum. Friends are each other’s supporters. We don’t break each other down, we build each other up!

#8 Make time for your friends and set an exact time and place.

It’s a proven fact that scheduling dates/get-togethers with an exact time and place are more likely to happen than just simply agreeing on the fact that “We need to hang out sometime”. The more concrete the plans, the better!

#9 Find something you both like and form a bond over it!

Whether it’s getting together to watch Pretty Little Liars every Tuesday or raving about Beyonce's new album, know your common interests, talk about them and partake in activities that involve them!

#10 Don’t exclude them.

It’s always an amazing feeling to make new friends, but you should never leave out your oldest friends. Leaving a friend out can be a huge blow to your friends not to mention that person's confidence! Make time for both your new and old friends and make sure neither feels left out or abandoned while you’re out together.

Keep these tips in mind and use them towards being the best friend you can be! As the wise Aristotle once said, “We should behave to our friends, as we would wish our friends behave to us.”