There is no greater thing than having healthy friendships.
Having friends who are like family is something that you just can’t buy. These are people that travel with you through all of your life experiences and they are invaluable.
Having healthy friendships is so important for your own self-care purposes because true friends will show you exactly where you are going wrong and exactly where you are doing things right.
The best of friends can be even better than family so its no wonder real friendships are important.
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7 Signs of healthy friendships
1. You tell each other the truth
You can always see true friendships from afar because real friends always tell each other the truth. That may mean telling your friend that their outfit is awful or that their boyfriend is a cheat.
No matter if the truth is good or bad news a healthy friendship will always deliver it because they know that that is what the person needs.
Telling someone the truth can be hard but it can also be liberating for both of you.
If your friend has a boggy in their nose you need to the one to tell them even before anyone else does. Coming from you it is truth, it means that you care and are protecting them from the ridicule of others.
True friends speak the truth in a loving way to uplift the other person not to make them feel bad.
2. You stir each other on
Friends push each other to do more and be better.
Your best friend will tell you to keep pushing that business even when other people tell you that you can’t do it because you are not good enough.
They are your support system even when the world feels like it is against you.
You push your best friend to get the best potential from them because you really believe that they can do something that they perhaps feel deflated about.
We all need a cheerleader in our corner sometimes and without one life can start to feel very lonely.
3. You laugh together
Laughter is so important in friendships. Laughter can be made up of healthy teasing and remembering things from the past that are now funny.
Allowing your friends to laugh at you and you at them gives way for truth and realness.
If you have to walk on eggshells with someone all the time in fear that they will get upset that is not healthy.
There is a certain element of bonding that takes place when you laugh together as friends which makes it really important.
4. You invest time
Let’s just be real because friendships are hard work. They don’t just happen overnight.
Friendships take up a lot of time and you have to constantly work at them in order for them to get better.
This is why some of the best friendships you will see are ones that started in school or have lasted for many many years.
You go through thick and thin together and that’s not something that can be achieved by knowing someone for only a couple of months.
That’s not to say that it can’t ever happen but it’s rare.
For most people, lasting friendship that are healthy will take up a lot of your time.
You cant simply keep moving on with your life without ever speaking to your friend and expect things to always stay the same.
The more time you spend apart the more potential there is that you will grow apart.
Continually invest in your friendships just as you would a relationship if you want them to grow and be healthy.
5. You have an inner circle but also a wider circle too
Having a few select close friends is great but it’s a good idea to spread your net a little bit wider than that too.
You need to have other friends just outside your inner circle too that you can rely on. This is really healthy.
If you find that your best friend doesn’t want you to have other friends there is something not okay about that.
It’s always a good idea to expand your social circle in order to keep your inner circle healthy.
Meet new people and develop new friendships otherwise you stand to come across as being unhealthy.
6. Trust is a given
Trust should be the only currency in your friendship.
Even amongst all the teasing and laughing that you do together there always needs to remain a certain level of trust.
If your friendship does not have trust then it’s not a real friendship.
The point of having healthy friendships is so that you can let your guard down and be able to be yourself free of judgement.
You should be able to tell your friends your deepest darkest secrets without fear of them telling someone else.
Once trust is gone it can never be repaired in the same way again.
There is forgiveness but you can’t break your leg and expect it to be the same after the breakage as it was before.
7. You argue
This point might sound silly at first but I can assure you it is not.
We are all human and therefore make mistakes in life. Arguing to resolves issues is healthy because it shows that you are hurt by something and that you want to clear the air so that you can continue to move forward with your friendships.
Arguing does not mean that you lose control and say whatever you want it means that you are hashing out an issue because you want to understand better and move forward with your friends.
Usually, after an argument, there is better understanding between you and the person.
Never having had a disagreement with your close friend is not a good sign. You are not clones of each other so you are bound to have some differences of opinion somewhere along the line.
How to know when a friendship is toxic
These 6 signs can give you a clue if you are in a toxic friendship or not.
You have to evaluate if it is something that you need to take up with the person or if you need to let the person go.
1. Only one person gives
2. There is no mutual respect
3. One party always walks away feeling hurt
4. You are often made to feel bad about yourself
5. There is no trust
6. Continuous disrespect is the norm
Final thoughts on having healthy friendships
Not every person that you meet in life is a potential candidate for meaningful friendship. You need to be able to recognise that so that you don’t make yourself too vulnerable.
Friendships take a lot of investment to build but there should always be give and take on both sides of the friendship in order for it to work.
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