Ways to maintain your friendship

Keeping close friends is an important part of life that gives us meaning and fulfilment just like any other relationship. A friendship requires that you put in the effort and work to sustain it, but if you feel like you and your friend are drifting away there are ways to strengthen that bond. If you both regularly communicate and take the proper steps to be supportive friends, you both can over come conflict and maintain your friendship for the long run.

Here are some simple tips on how to maintain your friendship

1. Remember what brought you together: Remembering how you became friends in the first place goes a long way towards making your friendship last. Talking about the past you both had together, like you’re inside jokes and past experiences can actually help you feel close when you’re in different places.

2. Staying connected: Staying connected is very essential. You both must not call or text each other always but when you experience something that reminds you of your friend, send text messages to let them know that you were thinking about them.

3. Hanging out, texting, chatting and calling are great ways to keep in touch. But spending time with the person is even a better way to grow a bond. Call your friend and make plans to hang out with them.

4. Show appreciation: Many of us have the attitude of not showing our friends some appreciation for being there for us. Little things like this go a long way. Friends are meant to appreciate each other, and make each other feel good. You must not wait for that big thing to appreciate your friend. Be sure to engage in acts of kindness and do things that will be perceived as being caring.

5.  Be honest: Being honest to your friend is good in order to strengthen that friendship. Being honest to your friend makes him or her to trust you, respect you and actually defend you when you are not there.

6.  Be supportive: It is a very good thing to be supportive to your friend. Always show interest when they pick up new hobby, new profession or a new life. Get excited about it and encourage them with the little you have, pray with them and help them plan too.  In this way your friend will know you wish them well in what ever they've decided to do.

By Maimuna Bagudu