Surviving this world without a friend is like enjoying the party without music. It’s unlikable. It is your family outside the home; they who make you smile brighter and laugh harder. They destroy your ego, insult your pride and make you embarrassed but if others do that, they’ll protect you. Good friendships are a path to good memories. In short, they are a blessing; to be appreciated and cared in certain ways mentioned below.

  1. Be an Active Listener

This is one of the most important aspects of good friendship. Hear everything they have to say, the good the bad, the nasty and the crazy stuff. It’s all there. Not just the happy times but the hard times when they feel nobody will hear them. Minimize your distractions when with them.

  • Make them feel heard and acknowledged, to flourish the relationship you share.
  • Be a patient listener who understands and supports them in all their ups and downs.
  • Do not relate their situations back to you while listening to them, it may upset them.
  • Always ask questions, if they feel comfortable to get a better understanding of their situation.
  1. Go Out of Your Way

Actions speak louder than words. What they see is what they believe about you, confide in you and love you even more for thinking about them. Little things are all that counts in life. Kind gestures, birthday surprises or remembering their important events.

  • The small efforts you make for them will brighten up their day.
  • A cupcake or a joke voice note or stupid public tantrums all counts for a better day.
  • Appreciate them, be vocal of how you acknowledge their feelings and love for you.
  1. No Awkward Silence

Years of knowing each other, laughing together, doing crazy stuff together develop your relationship more and more comfortable, where sitting in a room, not talking just doing your own things start making sense. Friendships come from when problems are judged by silence.

  • Put in efforts towards each other and your relationship on making it comfortable for each other.
  • Notice the atmosphere your friend likes spending time in.
  • Be it listening to music or reading a novel or just grooving to their favorite songs, be a part of it all.
  • Be able to understand what’s going underneath them in a situation, without them saying anything.
  1. Respect

Most of the time people forget that not only someone who’s older deserves respect but everyone you love deserves that respect. You cannot love somebody you don’t respect. It’s one of the most important aspects of a great bond.

  • Respect them not only socially, but financially and emotionally too.
  • Sometimes you can hold back on your opinions for things they love doing just for the sake of your bonding.
  • Never do it behind their back, defending your friend when some outsider disrespects them is a mark of a true friend.
  • Do not overthrow your opinions over theirs.
  1. Be Flexible

Do not always expect from your friend but sometimes be the answer to their realistic expectations also. It’s all about faith, emotion, understanding, respect, and abuses. If you love your friend, your relationship must be like a book, “No Complains, No Demands”.

  • Things happen, don’t get mad about changed plans or unspoken stories.
  • Give time to your friend for processing their thoughts however long it may be it is what they deserve.
  • Be to your friend what you want him/her to be for you.
  1. Dive in

Never be afraid to go too far in your friendship. What bond is it if your friend can’t talk to you about anything and everything, sure it comes slowly but eventually it does? And when those trust builds, your relationship becomes stronger than ever. Nothing and no one can take it away.

  • Don’t be afraid to go deep, comfort the uncomfortable.
  • Be it the deepest secrets, or darkest emotions, opinions, money eventually you will share.
  • Sharing the issues and asking for solutions is when they realize your true worth.
  1. Always be There

Have their back, be there for them. A friend could ask nothing bigger than this, being there for them is all they need, so as to quote “a friend in need, is a friend indeed”. The sense of warmth, the comfort that someone is always beside them is the strength they need to fight the world in its face.

  • Always stand beside them especially in their hard times, when they feel nobody is there, that comforting smile is all they need.
  • Just when they say leave me alone, be the one to stick, stick like the glue.
  • Don’t leave them hanging in their cloudy days, instead grab an ice cream tub and go over.
  1. Be Your Raw Self

A friend is someone you don’t have to pretend with, they know your flaws and they accept and love you with that flaw, but when someone else mentions the flaws, they whip them out. Be someone they don’t hide anything from, their embarrassing or crazy or sad moments.

  • Don’t be what you think they would like you to be, be yourself and play it out honestly.
  • Do all the stupid things you have always done, but this time drag them down with you?
  1. Don’t be Judgmental

All your friend doesn’t need is another person judging them for who they are. Their likes, dislikes, and choices they’ve made in life. Be someone they can confide in, they can be true to about all they have done in their life, without the fear of being judged.

  • Be supportive of what they do, the way they act or how they act publicly.
  • You’re their ally, be the one they never lie to and trust more than anybody else in the world.
  • Try to refrain from disagreement towards their decisions, wherever necessary.
  • Always maintain the balance of how and when to react.
  1. Know When to be Honest

Honesty is the best policy, we all know. Honesty is crucial for trust, and without it, the relationship cannot flourish, but there are certain times and situations where holding it back seems the only right thing to do, for you and especially for your friend.

  • Sometimes, the truth at the wrong time takes a toll on self-esteem and self-worth.
  • One odd lie here and there doesn’t hurt anybody if it’s really required.
  • Knowing your friend might get hurt listening to the truth, refraining from sharing it the best possible idea.
  1. Empathetic

Have the ability in you to understand how your friend feels and alter your behavior accordingly.

  • Always make eye contact with your friend when they are talking to you, this gives them the sense of being believed.
  • Try walking a mile in your friends’ shoe and get a clearer picture of how they are feeling and what they expect out from you.
  1. Get Out

Get out of the house. Do things together. Hang out more with each other. Nothing beats more face to face time.

  • Try new activities with each other; participate in what your friend like doing and the other way.
  • Travel – this makes the bond even stronger and you get to know even more about each other.
  • Always wanted to learn a new skill? Take your friend along.
  1. Make an Effort

Make an effort to becoming more of an active partner in their life. The more you volunteer, the more it gets appreciated and returned.

  • Send selfies, get to see each other faces every once in a while, if far away.
  • Make an effort with their significant other, try even if you don’t like their choice, they might get on the good side anyway.
  • Be more welcoming towards his/her other friends or corporate circle.
  1. Humor

Learn how to laugh at the humor in life and, most importantly, laugh at yourself. Learning to laugh at yourself makes it so much better to go through with life and is a happy period for your friends too. Yes, life is serious but these quirky little moments where you forget the sorrows make it worth it.

  • Not only do you need to see the humor in life, but you also need to be fun to be around.
  • We all go through a lot of drama at various phases of our daily life, not being one in front of your friends tend to maintain harmony.
  1. Your Way is Not the Only Right Way

Having an attitude always being right will make your friends distance themselves from you. Be all ears to opinions or ideas of them which do not agree with you, this will help in growth.

  • Increase your ability to understand the multi-perspectives of how things work or how they behave.
  • Silently listening will save you from creating a negative impact by interrupting or being judgmental.
  1. Recognize Shortcomings

We all face a shortcoming or two and accepting that as part of human infirmity is a significant aspect of enduring loyalty.

  • Do not give up on friends who hesitate or who might not be as actively present in your life as you might like.
  • By being loyal to your friends, you are creating a more-stronger bond network.
  • Have a litter of friends who are there to accompany your fall usually is much more likely to occur if you’ve been faithful to your friends over time.
  1. Write a Letter

There’s nothing like a handwritten letter to show you truly care about them. In this time of expressions through technology, an authentic mail will show your friend, your love towards them.

  • Let your friend know how much you care with your words written in that letter.
  • Share your feelings about meeting them the first time and how you wanted them in your life.
  1. Rehash those Inside Jokes

The most loved moments among friends are their inside jokes, the ones that you get and any other outsiders are left to brainstorm. Relive those jokes with your friend and laugh your hearts out.

  • “I once freed my friend from a giant lizard from an alien desert, by the help of my sister and her big bear friend”. Wait, that wasn’t us, that was Luke and Han from the return of the Jedi.
  • Create a nickname for a person you mutually font like or give a funny description for a repeated situation.
  • Context a song’s lyrics or a movie dialogue to each other which you can use in front of others, which they can’t understand.
  1. Have a Weekly Ritual

Doing your favorite things weekly and increasing the happy days in your bond. Weekly rituals also make the meeting fix, if you’ve had a busy week and couldn’t give enough time to your friend. This seems to be one of the best ways to corroborate for it.

  • Play your favorite video games and challenge each other.
  • You can bake your favorite desserts together or cook your favorite snacks.
  • Binge watch your favorite series, you’ve been waiting to see together the whole week.
  • Go to your favorite coffee and talk all about how your week went by.
  1. Follow through with Commitments

This one should be relatively straightforward, but unfortunately, a lot of people constantly make plans with friends only to bail on them later when things happen. Do you possible to not keep bailing on commitments made to your friend. Always try and make it for them.

  • If you see that you’re not going to be able to honor the commitment, let them know as soon as possible.
  • The easiest way to do this is to schedule friend time and then firewall it like hell.

TIPS

  • When trying to be a good friend, do not bring up the topics that make your friend uncomfortable or upset or reminds them of worse times. Respect and understand their boundaries.

Always make time for them; you’re never too busy to be there for your friend. Don’t talk to them only when you need it, but talk to them so they know that you’re always there.