The quality of your life can improve dramatically if you have good friends. You may be thinking, what’s a good friend? A good friend is a person that is supportive and honest of the decisions you make in life. Supportive means they will help you in your time of need and will provide encouragement and emotional backing through the process. Honestly, is a truthful and fair way of giving them recommendations in their life decisions that you believe will give them the best outcome.
Having good friends not only helps you feel better, but also subtly point out the mistakes you make to help you grow into a healthier and mature version of yourself. However, in order to have good friends, you must prove yourself to be a good friend as well. Many a times people don’t ask out for help directly, they expect their friends to understand what’s wrong with them in the first place, this is what good friends do.
However, before helping out a friend, you must understand the problem someone is facing. Mostly people face issues related to family, relationships, break-ups, academics and so forth. All of these problems can directly or indirectly affect their mental health which is very alarming especially in the longer run.
In these situations, what should you do to help out a friend? Just follow these 5 simple steps and you will be good to go!
1) Always keep a check on your friends
Texting someone out of nowhere or going to their house to enquire their health does not make you any less of a person. In fact, when other people see that you are so involved in their lives, they will start to appreciate your efforts. When you are available for someone in times when they feel low, chances are they will do the same for you as well in your time of need, this is human nature. Similarly, when you keep a check on your friends, you will be more aware of what is happening in their lives and in case they are going through something, they will share their problems with you instead of keeping it to themselves and harming their own mental state in the process.
2) Remember that small thoughtful gestures are key
It is important for us to realize that small thoughtful gestures go a long way in making someone happy. These can be in any shape or form from gifting them something as small as a friendship band, to mailing them a card. Something as little as thanking a friend for the friendship that you share with them can go a long way. In case, your friend is suffering from anxiety or depression, be their shining light, take them to seminars and group sessions so they can become healthier, but more importantly be there to talk
3) Be a good listener
When your friend finally does open up, don’t force your opinion on him. It is always important to completely listen to what the other person has to say. Being a good listener is one of the key features of an effective counsellor. If you listen to your friends’ issues properly, only then can you provide a solution to their problems.
4) Be honest
Many a times your friends are wrong. They could be indulging in a bad habit or hanging out with the wrong group of people. As a friend, it is your duty to point out where they are wrong. Being brutally honest can sometimes hurt the other person but telling the truth in the right manner, can help the other person grow. You can’t afford to watch your friends turn into a terrible influence, be honest with them and help them get out of it.
5) Never ‘use’ your friend
Feeling ‘used’ can be one of the most devastating feelings, exploiting one for person gain. No matter how close you are to someone, never ever ‘use’ them for a specific purpose. When someone finds out that you were being nice to someone just because you wanted something out of him or her, they will never ever be able to trust you again. Therefore, it’s important to be genuine with any friends you make and help each of them grow.
6) Buy gifts for them
It’s always good to show your friends that you miss them and love them. What better way to do that than to share a teddy bear or card that voice that you appreciate them. Buying gifts has become easier than ever with the introduction of e-commerce. Get customized gifts just for the special ones in your life by visiting websites like Etsy. Exchanging gifts always strengthens bonds especially between best friends.