Top 8 Ways To Maintain Good Friendships

Editor’s note: What would one do were it not for a handful of friends who are ready to bare their whole to make one get filled with happiness? They say the love and admiration of friends are more essential than wealth. This is why Yemisi Oludairo, Naij.com’s contributor, took out time to give eight tips that could help you sustain closeness to your friends.

Developing and maintaining friendships is a very important aspect of our lives. No matter what we do and where we are in life, we cannot underestimate the power of having our good friends standing right by us.

Below are some tips that should help you sustain good friendships.

Experience friends’ milestones

The milestones such as birthdays, wedding, childbirth and other big events in our lives usually stand out in our memories for as long as we live. When we think about them, we also think about the people who were there to share the day with us. So, to make sure your friends think about you fondly when they think about their milestones, be sure you are available for them at this time. Try as much as you can to be with them and it will certainly strengthen your bond.

Make a standing date

Just like you reserve special time with the people you are in a relationship with, you should also do this for your friends. Choose a reasonable frequency of time (weekly, monthly, etc.) when you make time out for each other, catch up and hang out together.

Improving communication

No relationship (family, friends, romantic) will stay strong if you lack communication. Make sure you have an open channel of communication with your friends and make sure they feel comfortable enough to talk to you about anything.

Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing. It is actually the human connection, a key to personal and relationship success.

Make the effort to keeping friends

We all lead busy lives and it is understandable that some parts of our lives could fall into the cracks. But if your friendship is important to you, make the effort to maintain it even if it sometimes mean sacrificing something else.

Meet important people

Another way to maintain your place in your friend’s life is to make sure you know the people that are important to them. Know their close family members, other close friends and the people they are in relationships with. Also, introduce your friends to the important people in your life. Create an avenue where you all meet so that you feel a part of your friend’s life and vice versa.

Experience new things

Another way to strengthen your friendship is to make time out to experience new things together. Friendships get old quickly if you keep doing the same old things. Hang out in new places, do new things, meet new people, etc. This will help keep the excitement.

Be there for your friends

Being a friend does not mean just being there during the good times, make sure you are there when times are not so good too. Hold their hands, give a hug and speak words of encouragement, whatever is needed. Try your best to make sure they do not face challenging times alone.

Appreciate your friends

We all want to feel like our efforts are being appreciated, so make sure your friend knows he/she is appreciated. Let them know how important you take the friendship and how much you are grateful to have them in your life.

Life could get hectic, relationships could get challenging, but when done right, you could have and maintain a friendship that will last forever.

This article expresses the author’s opinion only. The views and opinions expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Naij.com or its editors.

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