The truth is, it’s hard to make and nurture friendships as an adult. Between kids, husbands, work duties, personal time, etc. it takes effort to maintain friendships. If it’s important to you, though, be sure and include it in your life. These suggestions go beyond the cliche “How’s it goin?” or “What’s up?” when approaching a friend. When done over time and consistently, these ideas can cultivate true, authentic friendships. Keep in mind, a lot of these can be done without the need to be together physically & can be done in a few minutes. If you feel like friendships are lacking in your life, or you wish you had better friendships, be sure to consult this list and be committed to nurturing them more often!
- Send a text
- Go to lunch
- Start a book club
- Start a dinner club
- Invite people over for a game night
- Go on a girls’ trip
- Tell someone how much their friendship means to you
- Surprise a friend with a note on their doorstep
- Take them dinner
- Be present
- Be a safe place they can share their feelings
- Validate their feelings
- Laugh at their jokes
- Curate a variety of friends so you don’t rely on the same person or people all the time
- Go on walks with someone at a certain time each week or day
- Own your awkwardness, if you are feeling it, and tell them you’d love to be their friend
- Compliment them
- Share something vulnerable
- Hold space for them when they share something vulnerable
- Share what show you’ve been binging on & ask them the same
- Ask for advice
- Be proactive in contacting friends, don’t wait for them or keep score
- Call someone up
- Invite someone to do something spontaneously
- Leave a message saying you were just thinking of them
- Say yes! It’s easy to find excuses, but be the yes-girlfriend when invited somewhere
- Say sorry when necessary
- Show up without asking when they need help
- Go to a conference & learn something new together
- Put your arm around them when you greet them
- Remember their birthday
- Be there when they need it
- Host a gathering
- Be cautious about offering advice; a listening ear is all most people need
- If you do feel the need to offer advice–ask for permission to share it.
- Send a Marco Polo
- For a group of close friends, carry on an on-going conversation in a group texting app
- Send a photo through text of something that reminds you of them & say “thinking of you!”
- Make a standing appointment to get together once a month
- Ask for help about something they are good at
- Hug them!
- Tell them you’re coming over to help them with any task they want
- Support their business, their dreams, their talents!
- Tell them what you admire about them
- If they are a Mom, tell them what a good Mom they are & why you think that
- If you’ve known each other for a long time, share an old photo of the two of you
- Give them a hand massage
- Introduce your friends to other friends that don’t know each other
- Laugh a lot, create personal jokes
- Make time for them
