There is no denying the fact that friends are a crucial part of our life. At different stages in our lives, we come across new people and if we fail to make genuine friends, we are more likely to live a miserable life. This is the reason why friendships are incredibly important, hence, our friends should mean everything to us.
Friendships also define who we are as a person. You must have heard the saying that goes like ‘A man is known by the company he keeps’. It’s true because the kind of friends you have will have a great impact on you. In other words, your friends are capable of influencing your choices – what you think, what you eat, where you live, what you buy, and even what you wear. The right kind of friendship helps you grow and changes you for the better.
There is another old and very well-known proverb that says, “Friends are flowers in the garden of life.” This simply means friendships in life a whole lot better and fun.Bear in mind, everyone makes friends at different speeds. Some people are good at initiating conversations so they can easily become friends with anyone from the start, while others may have to spend a couple of months of small talk before they can truly be themselves around someone.
If you are someone who has a hard time building strong friendships and you don’t have any genuine friend yet, that’s totally okay. You have plenty of time to make real friends or develop stronger and lasting bonds, and it certainly doesn’t happen overnight. To help you along your way, we have put together some effective tips so that you can learn how to build solid relationships with your friends like never before.
Open Up to Them
Have you recently joined university and living away from your family? Do you want to be close to your classmates or dorm partner? Well, the first step towards developing a friendship is allowing yourself to open up to people. Whether you are feeling homesick or struggling with a challenging course, you can talk about them with someone who wants to be friends with. There could be a variety of things that may be weighing on your mind at the start of university life. Instead of keeping them inside, make sure you discuss them.
If you feel comfortable, there is nothing wrong with opening up about what’s bothering you and why you don’t enjoy your course. Making an effort to show them that you consider them trustworthy will bring you closer to them and, chances are, they will end up sharing their similar feelings with you. Not only that, opening up to someone plays a vital role in offloading your problems, eventually making you sfeel like some kind of burden has been lifted off your shoulders.
Choose Your Friends Wisely
When it comes to making friends and developing stronger friendships, what you need to remember is that you do not necessarily have to be everyone’s friend. Obviously, we don’t want you to be harsh with people. You could be nice to everyone you meet on a regular basis.
But, make sure that you choose to be friends with people who try their best to build you up instead of tearing you down. Also, try to be close tosomeone who inspires you, welcomes you, and brings out the best in you, not abandon and insult you. It is impossible to choose the family you are born into, but you can certainly choose the people you want to be friends with.
Listen
It is important to pay attention and listen closely to what the other person is saying. Make sure you let that person know that you actually care about them, hence, you are hearing them. What you else you can do is ask clarifying questions.
To make them sure you listened to them carefully, try summarizing what you have understood. When it comes to showing someone you are actually listening, your eye contact and body language matter a lot.
Respond Carefully
Always ensure that you think twice before you speak – especially if you are mad at your friend for some reason. At times, taking a moment to think about what you are about to say before you blurt things out will save you from hurting others’ feelings.
Also, when friends are real, you can be the real you around them since they know you better than anyone else. But it’s still crucial that you choose your words wisely.
Take up a New Hobby Together
What you need to remember is that signing up for fun and exciting things with people around you can strengthen friendships. If you don’t have anything in common with your new roommate or course mates, then you could try to pick out something new that you both can try together.
A great way to take up a new hobby together is to join a society or club with a flat mate. Also, you can go jogging or hit the gym and end up learning more about each other. If you are not a gym freak, then it ttactics would be ideal to play online games using optimum high-speed internet.
