Relationships with other human beings, whether they’re platonic or romantic, are such an important part of life. A good friend or partner can make you feel less alone, help you get through hard times, and is also a lot of fun to be around and spend time with. Of course, interpersonal relationships can be difficult to maintain, and it takes both parties making an effort for any friendship or other type of relationship to work.
Some people may feel that they aren’t good at relationships when in reality they are simply lacking the necessary tools that’ll help them to be better at them. If you have a partnership or close friendship that you’d like to keep for the rest of your life, it’s going to take a little work. Here are 3 helpful tips for nurturing friendships and relationships.
Help Each Other Out
When you’re close with someone, there’ll be times when they need your help and vice-versa. Accept the fact that that’s just a part of adult friendships, and offer to help them with anything you can. Whether you’re doing an art project and you need foam board, you need a last-minute babysitter, or you just need someone to talk to about your struggles in life, don’t be afraid to call on those you care about. And when the situation is flipped and they need your help, provide it whenever possible.
Always Be Honest With One Another
Lies are one of the number one things that cause people who once loved one another to hate each other, so it’s of utmost importance that you’re always honest with the people closest to you. It’s also reasonable for you to ask the same of them in return.
Honesty isn’t always easy, as it can be challenging to open up and be vulnerable with someone, even if it’s a person who knows you very well. Have a conversation with your friend, lover, or partner and let them know that honesty is important to you and that you feel it will help your relationship to thrive. After a while, it’ll become second nature to you and you’ll notice how much stronger all of the relationships in your life are because of it.
Make Time For Each Other
Life is busy for everyone in so many different ways, and it can be easy to lose track of time and forget to call someone you care about. You might think to yourself, “I’ll call them tomorrow instead”, and then forget to do it then too. Unfortunately, this may lead to feelings of resentment or your friend might think you’re mad at them or must not care about them very much if you can’t even make time to call them.
If there’s a person in your life who you’d like to keep around, make sure they know it! Even if you live far apart and aren’t able to spend a lot of time together, you can still make time for each other in different ways. If you’re both able to do this, your relationship can weather just about any storm.
Friendships and relationships of all kinds need to be nurtured in order to grow. Hopefully these tips can help you to nurture yours!