How to Make New Friends and Maintain Friendships

Some people claim they don't need friends. But everyone needs friends, no matter how annoying they may seem, they make life better and are beneficial to you. It's not just me that thinks this way, the American Association of Psychologists agree stating that "Friendships protect us in part by changing the way we respond to stress". But having and maintaining friendships isn't a easy task, it involves lots of drama, time, and stress.

While there is no rule to how many friends one must need, at least having 1 is important to keeping you happy, and beneficial for your mental health. Friends are also good people to talk to when you're down and life is getting difficult. Whatever your reason is for wanting friends, this section will be beneficial to assisting you.

Making Rules for Friends

Before making new friends remember to establish some boundaries. Remember, making friends means hanging out with people that actually care about you. Always make sure that you aren't the only person giving effort to a friendship. Here is are two types of friends, the good type (left) and bad type (right):

Remember that this is a small list, and everyone has their own list, remember it's all up to your own heart if you truly view someone as a friend or not.

Participate in Extracurricular Activities

If you're interested in meeting new people and potential friends, consider participating in extracurricular activities. Find something that interests you and you will meet someone with similar benefits. On the other hand, trying something new that might not quite interest you might still be beneficial in you meeting interesting people. Remember, just be yourself and try out new activities, you will meet new people and get to have a lot of fun. Even if you're not a talker these events can make you more social and get you out of your comfort zone.

Find Online Communities

Your school or University might have online communities where you can chat, and your classmates probably have some form of social media. Try connecting with people online and finding forums that relate to your local school or areas. In 2024, sometimes online is the best way to meet new people and organize meetups. Not only is having social media good for this, but it is also good for networking and getting help for assignments.

There are clear steps you need to follow in order to keep your friendships together and ensure you can put in effort into a friendship. Mainly this section will go over how you can build understanding with your friends and learn to balance your time with hanging out with them.

Texting

This may sound obvious but texting someone is a great way to keep a friendship together. Just drop a quick "how's it going just checking in" and start a conversation. This not only is a great way to staying friends with someone, but it's also necessary to check in once in a while to ensure your friends and doing well and keeping up with what's going on. The whole point of a friendship is that both sides show care and support each other.

Planning Activities Together

When planning an activity, try to take turns recommending activities, for example if last time you did something the other person liked, maybe this time do something you like and vice versa. Wherever you go, the primary focus should be spending quality time with your friends. Whether at a restaurant or just simply walking around a town, hanging out face-to-face provides time for you guys to build your friendships and catch up. Talking face to face also makes the experiences more memorable and interesting

Have a Schedule

Having a schedule is important to maintaining friendships. Always reserve some time in your schedule for your friends and family, because these relationships are important to helping you be less stress and in turn improve productivity. Sometimes conversations with friends can also bring up new ideas on a project you're stuck on or provide a distraction from a tiring day at work.

It's important to remember that especially in friend groups you may come across some drama. It's important to remember that drama is common as no two people think the same and that there is always going to be some fighting within a group. It's important to remember how to meditate when you're not involved and also how to deescalate if you happen to be involved in the drama.

How to Mediate Conflicts

1. Try to see if the parties can resolve it on their own
2. Get both side's take on the drama
3. Make it clear to both sides that you don't intend to take sides, just solve the drama
4. Discuss the issue with both sides and figure out a way to solve the issue
5. Have both sides talk to each other and handle the issue on their own

While these steps aren't exact, this is a good way to mediate drama in a friend group. They make it so that you can not involved yourself, but also at the same time solve the drama. Often times a third party is needed to settle things down in these dramas.

How to Navigate Drama You're In

1. Take some time away from the conflict to think things through and make considerations, try calming yourself down
2. Understand why the other person may be angry by talking things through with them
3. Instead of denying everything and gaslighting, try talking to someone about the issue and asking them why this person may be angry
4. Apologize for anything you did that may have hurt the other side, even if you didn't mean it
5. If the situation still isn't settled within a few days, consider if it's time to end the friendship

Consider reading the article below before engaging in the conflict further.

Keep These 4 Things in Mind When Making Amends With Friends

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Conclusion

Throughout this article, you learned all you need to begin a friendship. Remember what we went over, especially involving drama and learning to make new friends. Remember, a good fit is not a group that forces you to change, but one that will hang out with you regardless of who you are. Remember that there are many people in the world, there's no saying you need to be friends with a group of people just because they are cool or not. From this article, you should have good starting point. Moving on from this point, follow your heart and what your brain says, but remember that a friendship involves work on both sides and can be stressful at times. But remember that in the end, friends are needed to help us succeed in life and be happier.

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