How To Be A Great Best Friend With Pictures

Don’t hold things in. If you feel uncomfortable or have hard feelings toward your best friend, talk about it with them. It hurts even more when your friendship is being torn to bits while your friend has no idea how to fix it. Make things comfortable, and you’ll both go through thick and thin together.

Close relationships with other people — whether it’s a romantic relationship or an intimate friendship — teach us a lot about ourselves. Don’t be afraid to learn about yourself. If you don’t like who you are, it’s hard for other people to like you. Don’t judge yourself too harshly. It’s easy to hold ourselves to a really high standard sometimes, a standard that is impossible to uphold. If you’re a perfectionist, learn to be a little forgiving toward yourself. Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable. Everyone feels vulnerable about some things, right? Don’t be afraid to show your best friends the parts of yourself that are vulnerable. They won’t care, and if they do, they might not be the right friend for you. If your friends kindly point out your faults and/or suggest you make certain changes to help your friendships blossom, don’t automatically grow defensive or harbor bitter feelings against them. They are only trying to help you become a better person, and you should feel blessed to have such thoughtful friends. Also, if you improve yourself, you’ll be able to prevent future friendships from being torn apart. However, if your friends aren’t being very nice to you about your faults and picking on you for it, kindly let them know how you feel. If they refuse to stop, you may not want to spend as much time with them anymore.

Realize that your best friend may have other friends. Trust that you’re really important to them and let your best friend have a social life outside of you. A love between friends is never jealous. To prevent loneliness from biting you, have a small circle of friends. That way, if one friend is unavailable or they turn out to be your enemy, you’ll have other friends to support you. It’s good to know as many people as possible, but only have a few close friends that you tell your secrets to. This will lower the chance of your secrets being spilled. Don’t keep secrets. Be open about what’s going on in your life and what you hear about other people. If you don’t want to talk about something, don’t bring it up in the first place. If your best friend insists on hearing and you still don’t want to talk about it, say: “You know you’re my best friend; if I were going to tell anybody, it would be you. But I’m just not comfortable talking about it with anyone. I promise you’ll be the first to know when I’m ready to talk, okay?” Know that you’ll probably go through rough patches. Bear in mind though that sometimes you will have to give them some space so that they can have time alone and think things through. Being a best friend means understanding when a little bit of time alone or space from them can be a good thing.

Know the difference between a harmless secret and a dangerous secret. Dangerous secrets not only threaten your friend’s life, but it can also affect you as well. Despite the fact that your friend may not want people to know about their secret, it’s best to tell your parents or a trusted adult about this. Keep in mind that your friend might have told you their secret because they are tired of keeping it to themselves and they are silently asking for help. Keep your word. If you say you’re going to do something, do it. Follow through with it. You know what they say: Talk is cheap. Let your best friend know that if you say you’re going to do something, you don’t ever back away. Don’t gossip about your best friend. Don’t say anything that might turn into a rumor. For example, if they had a crush, they’d probably be embarrassed if you told someone. Make sure you know your best friend is okay with it if you do tell other people. Things like this are sometimes hard to do, but if you want a solid friendship you have to be willing to do them.

Say “no” when you need to while still being their friend. A friend of integrity is of great value. Tell them respectfully when you think they’re wrong. The journey of life is about learning from your mistakes, not always needing to be right. If you don’t learn to say “no” to your friend, it’ll hurt your friendship more than improve it. Not only may your friend grow too reliant on you, but you’ll also feel strained and angry.

Never leave the problem alone and pretend it doesn’t exist. It will not fade, and it will eventually pop up again later. It’s best to solve the problem while it’s small before it grows bigger and more painful. If you two need help solving your problems, ask your parents or a trusted adult to help.

If you or your friend consistently has problems with another person, try not to be childish or immature about it. Don’t prank them or embarrass them; sadly, that will only make things worse. Tell an adult what’s happening, or simply ignore them. People hate being ignored and eventually lose interest in you.

Be an active listener. Being an active listener means reading in between the lines. Sometimes it means knowing what the other person feels or is thinking before they do. If you’re an active listener, you might know who your friend likes before they do. Know when not to talk. There’s an old saying out there: The dumb person talks; the wise person listens. While that’s definitely an overstatement, it has some truth in it. Begin to feel comfortable just being with your bestie, not constantly having to talk to fill the silence.

If a boy or girl has upset them, tell them not to worry because you are there for them and you’re not going anywhere. Also tell them that there are plenty more boys or girls out there just waiting to meet the love of their life. Reassure your best friend that they will find someone who loves them for who they are. Remind yourself that lending a helping hand to your best friend doesn’t really cost you anything. It may not be easy to constantly comfort them or find advice to give, but know that your best friend would do the same for you in your time of need. If your friend is away from home, send them cards or care packages to show that you care. If they’re sick, call them and ask how they are doing. Show them you appreciate their presence in your life. Write them notes to show that you care and are thankful for them, and ask about their lives. Share your own stories, but make sure you have time for them.

Be your own caretaker. This comes back to being your own best friend and taking care of yourself. If you take care of yourself, you’ll never put your friend in a position where they have to come in and rescue you. If you never put your friend in this position, you’ll never be disappointed. Remember that no one is perfect - not even your best friend. Everyone has their own faults, and they need to work through it. Don’t be mean to your friend about their faults, but help them work through it while asking for help on your own as well. However, when gently letting your friend know, understand that your friend has feelings, and it’s best to only focus on the faults that are the biggest threat to your friendship. Know what faults to ignore/let go of and what faults to help your friend solve. Sometimes, you need to let your friend solve their faults without your help, unless they ask for your assistance. Constant nagging will make your friend feel stressed and angry, and they may be unwilling to improve your friendship if you’re putting pressure on it.

If neither of you make an effort to get together, or if you get into fights with them for no reason, then maybe you weren’t meant to be best friends. It’s not anyone’s fault. Maybe you two are too much alike. Who knows? You might just need a break from one another for a few weeks. Always treat your friend with respect, even if you grow apart. Don’t be angry with them, it’s truly not worth keeping all that anger locked up inside. Be courteous, kind, and respectful if you have a falling apart. You never know when things might change.