We all want to have good friends, and more than that we want long lasting friendships, the following are some tips for healthy, happy, long-lasting friendships:
Tip one: spend time together frequently.
If you want any relationship to work, including a friendship you need to spend time together, and often. It is okay to have lapses of time where you neglect each other because of a significant other or because of something else like a illness, family crisis, job change etc. However, when life settles down and you have a routine or schedule you just need to make sure that your friend is a part of that. Healthy, happy, long lasting friendship only exist when your friend is a part of your life. So, spend time together having fun. Go out to eat, see movies, take your kids to the park, bowl, play sports, join the same book club, etc.
Tip two: only speak kind words about each other.
A lot of times in friendships when you get mad at one another you go to other friends or maybe your significant other and you tell them all of the bad things you can think of about the person. This is not healthy, and not happy if you want a long lasting friendship, so knock it off. Instead, when things are not going well, keep the negative feelings to yourself, then you have no one to explain anything to when things work out, and no one to try and make amends with. You also get the satisfaction of knowing you have nothing to feel bad about when you two make up. Not allowing yourself to say something bad is part of having a healthy relationship, and it is important to making sure the friendship lasts. When you talk bad about someone it is eventually going to bite you in the butt. So, don't do it.
Tip three: solve problems between you two, do not involve others
Like marriages, friendships, and especially problems between friends should stay that way-between friends. If you involve other people you make it harder to solve the problem, you dredge up unnecessary feelings, and you complicate matters. If you have a problem with your friend, talk to them about it. Do not involve people that should not be involved. It is ok to involve your spouse, or someone like that, as often times you need emotional support especially if the friendship is important to you and the problem large, but just talking about it to anyone who will listen is unhealthy.
Tip four: serve one another.
A great way to strengthen friendships and make them healthier happier, and longer lasting is to serve one another. Unselfish service is an excellent way of strengthening bonds and creating longer lasting friendships. So, be thoughtful, be kind, and serve one another.
Tip five: stay in touch.
If you want your friendship to be strong and last you can't let a little distance get in the way. It is so easy with text messaging, long distance coming free on most cell phones, and the internet to stay in touch no matter how far apart you are. So use these things and have a better relationship.
If you can do these five easy things, your friendships will be healthier, you will enjoy spending time with one another more, and your friendships will last a lot longer. This of course is ideal. While things may not be perfect right away if you keep things up they will all work out in the end and you will be much happier, and have closer bonds and better connections.
BLOGGER: SARA JESSICA T. SANCHEZ
