5 Tips For Building Supportive Friendships

Illustration of a supportive and healthy friendship (Freepik/Pressfoto)

JAKARTA – Having a group of supportive friends certainly makes you feel happier in life. Even if you have a supportive family, having healthy social relationships is also important.

A supportive friend is someone who gives you support and encouragement. Having healthy friendships, according to research published by Verywell Mind, can make a person feel happier and more prosperous. To build friendship relationships that are 'healthy' both physically and mentally, here's what you can do.

1. Meet new people

Even though you already have close friends for years, there's nothing wrong with expanding your circle of friends, especially those who really support you in certain aspects, such as work. Because, the more friends you have, the more likely it is to get a lot of support from them.

2. Take time

To strengthen social networks, especially friendship, such as building romance. This means that it takes special time to meet each other or share stories. But don't let your regular schedule get messy. Make sure to manage time well and effectively to meet up with your friends.

3. Be assertive

Assertive means communicating honestly and firmly but still respecting and understanding each other's needs. In building supportive friendships, it's important to be assertive. Since everyone has their own needs, avoid making other people feel offended by not controlling communication patterns.

Simply being assertive in friendships is to stay actively supportive of one another. The skills to remain tolerant with others or to support and open healthy lines of communication are important to form the foundation of a supportive friendship.

4. Listen well

When you have a tiring day, sometimes you can only share stories with trusted friends. This is useful for getting support, encouragement, or even getting a little laugh to neutralize fatigue. So, act equally, if friends need support, then be a good listener.

5. Trust your intuition

When around your friends, pay attention to how you feel. If you feel warm, sincere acceptance without any pretensions, feel comfortable, then this is a green light to keep the friendship going forever. However, if you're feeling anxious, tired, or like something's amiss, this may be a sign that your friendship needs repair.

Everyone has their own character and traits that can't be changed easily. Not all may be suitable to be friends with one person but more compatible with others. But that's okay, doesn't every relationship need a process to understand each other and improve themselves?