How Can I Be a Better Friend Essay
Hello Readers! This post features How Can I Be a Better Friend Essay
It is often easy to make somebody your friend However, it can be rather difficult to maintain the relationship in the long run if you aren’t working on it continuously. Friendship is something which people establish out of love, affection and mutual respect.
It is a relationship that needs to be nurtured on a regular basis. One cannot hope to make somebody one’s friend over the course of a month, and then forget about the other person’s existence for the next two years. Even if two people might get separated from each other physically, due to changes in time and circumstances, effort must be taken from both sides to stay in touch through phone calls, letters and text messages.
What are some of the most important qualities for being a good friend?
- Ability to keep your friend’s closely guarded secrets and not share them with others :
A person who considers you to be his friend would share some of his/her deepest insecurities or disappointments in life. At a moment of intense sadness, your friend might talk to you about some closely guarded personal secret. He would trust that you would keep it for life, and not reveal it to a third party at any point of time.
Sharing problems help us to come up with solutions. We feel much better after talking about something which has been bothering us for long. Sharing stories about the challenges in our lives help us to heal. Moreover, we feel as though a weight has been lifted from our shoulders.
A friend who trusts you will share share a couple of deeply personal secrets with you. Yet, you cannot hope to keep this person in your life forever if you have this habit of leaking his private thoughts with others. There may be times when you might not hear from your friend, maybe because the other person is busy.
Of course, it is normal for you to feel a little disconnected from each other as the two of you haven’t met for a while. This is the time when you need to be cautious. You should be careful not to disclose your friend’s issues with a third person just because your friend has not been in touch for a while. With the gradual passing of time, when your friend becomes familiar with the intensity of your loyalty and your awesome ability to keep secrets, he/she will learn to trust you even more and your relationship will prosper even faster.
- Ability to be present in your friend’s life when he/she needs you the most:
Sometimes, it might happen that your friend has had a rather nasty day at the workplace. Or, it might be that he/she has had to deal with a theft or robbery. At another time, it might happen that somebody has falsely accused your friend of some crime. In such an event, despite you living in a different city or country, it is important for you to try your best to be there for this person.
Even though it would not be actually possible to be physically present beside your friend to help him/her to handle the situation, you can always talk on the phone. Know that if you are seriously interested in becoming a better friend to somebody, you will have to come out with ways and means to be as actively involved in his/her life as possible even if you are living far away.
These are tricky situations and one cannot afford to overlook the core problems that a friend is facing if one really wants the other person’s presence in his/her life forever. Don’t postpone the task of addressing some of the serious problems that your friend is facing. Be there for your friend and help him/her to sort out things.
- Ability to give some space and privacy to your friend when the other wants to be left alone for a while:
Now this is a tricky one. Sometimes, your friend may not want to talk to you at all. You’re visiting this person’s home, and he/she is not letting you in. Or maybe, you are making calls, but you aren’t getting any response. You’re sending text messages and no replies here as well. This abrupt change in your dear friend’s behavior might astonish you.
You are clueless about the reasons behind your friend trying to disconnect with you. However, you need to be patient here. It might be that this person is going through a bad phase but is not keen on talking about it. Maybe, your friend needs a little bit of space. Alternately, he/she is just not in the mood to communicate. In such a situation, your best option would be to reach out to your friend’s family or a trusted relative.
Ask them to check in on your buddy. It’s always important to have the contact details of your friend’s family or local guardian so that it gets convenient for you to reach out to them at the time of an emergency. Sometimes, staying away from your friend but making sure that this person is fine, and giving him/her some space can help you to become a better friend than before. Your buddy will learn to trust you more because he/she knows that you aren’t overly intrusive or nosey.
- Ability to reach out to your friend when he/she dealing with a sick family member:
Your friend will never have a high opinion of you if you aren’t there for this person when he/she has a sick family member at home. Reach out to him/her. Find out if your friend needs financial help to tide over this situation. If it’s possible for you to give monetary assistance, do so.
If it’s not possible to lend or donate yourself, find out if mutual friends and acquaintances would be interested in making a donation. Your friend will never forget this kind gesture and involvement on your part. Even if it might not be possible for you to visit your friend’s sick family member at home or at the hospital, a bit of financial assistance will pave the way for a lasting relationship.
- Ability to heal your friend during a major heartbreak, trauma or death in the family:
Not all friends need monetary aid though. And the situation might be different as well. Your friend might be going through a breakup in a relationship, a sudden disappointment, or even bereavement in the family. It’s your job to think of ways and means to be there for this person and help him/her to heal.
There’s a saying in English, “Prosperity brings friends, and adversity tries them.” The challenge for you is to identify the truly adverse circumstances in your friend’s life and help him/her to overcome them. If you genuinely care for your friend, you’ll be able to take on this responsibility of helping this person pretty much easily.
It takes years to build a relationship, but it may take just a couple of moments to break it. The trick is to stay in touch, no matter what. If you are maintaining communication at all times, more than half your job is already done. Thereby, you’ll be well informed about the highs and lows of your friend’s life, find solutions fast and will be empowered to become a better and more meaningful relationship to your loved one.
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Very nice
Thank you, Jil!