9 Steps for Nurturing Friendships

With friendships, there are some things you can do to increase your likelihood of success:

  1. Be kind to yourself. 

  2. Reflect on what you bring to a friendship.

  3. Ask open ended questions - be curious about the other person.

  4. Listen and reflect back what they said. For example, it sounds like… or I’m curious about… while being careful not to be invasive about your questions.

  5. You are not for everyone! And everyone is not for you! If you’re getting to know someone and things feel “off” it’s ok. Every person is not new friend material.

  6. Mutuality - make sure the sharing is back and forth. Don’t take all the talking time or not enough of it.

  7. Give it time - be patient! Friendships are built on shared experiences over time.

  8. Last but not least, take the initiative. We all love an invite, but how about making a few invitations yourself. For example, would you like to join me for… (whatever the things you have planned already).

  9. Ok one more - check in on your friends to nurture the relationships. It’s like watering a plant - you don’t want to overwhelm it with too much, or neglect it with too little.

Sometimes relationships have stuck points. Reach out for support if you notice patterns in your relationships that you’re struggling to understand.