Healthy Friendship

When it comes down to it, your friends are often just as important as family. In many cases, your friends become your family – while the relationships may not be exactly the same, they’re often the closest people in your life. Your friends are your utmost confidants – you have conversations spanning everything from work and daily life to your most intimate thoughts on love. Despite all the good times, just like any relationship – friendships take work. From your besties to your newest friends, keep reading for the must-have qualities of any healthy friendship.

1. You challenge one-another. While it is pretty nice when your best gal-pal showers you in compliments, it’s best when there’s a healthy balance of telling you how wonderful you are and challenging you to be even better.
2. Neither friend in the relationship is afraid to speak up when someone is wrong. Giving one another constructive feedback is a healthy, good practice – it keeps you honest after all! The best policy is openness, always.
3. You’re both great listeners and great talkers. Sharing is one of the best parts of a solid friendship and that means listening when you’re needed and speaking up when you need a listening ear.
4. You’re able to help keep one another’s stress under control. A good friend knows when someone isn’t acting like him or herself – and all too often that’s a sign of stress. Helping to stop that stress before it gets out of hand is the sign of a truly committed friend.
5. They are your biggest fan and always have your back. Sometimes you just really need that person in your corner and that means standing up for you when you need it – even if it’s not the easiest situation.
6. You’re both able to forgive. Friends are going to have their moments of tension – just like any loving relationship – and being able to forgive and move forward is absolutely essential for growing together.
7. Your friendship means the world to both of you. Whether or not you’re able to see one another all the time or just once-in-a-while, when a friendship takes priority, it feels good.
8. You’re accepting of one another even when you don’t have the same opinions. Just because you’re friends doesn’t mean you have to agree 100% of the time, but you do have to understand and support where the other person is coming from.
9. Above all else: you love each other and have a blast together.

What are the best parts of your most cherished friendships? xo

Keep doing

Angelika

(credit: L.R.)