Building New relationships; Friendship edition
What are your chances of finding a blog post about building non-romantic relationships? I’ll answer that. Close to none but fortunately for you, this is one of the rare ones. We keep being told the how to’s with just our romantic partners but the benefits and importance of other relationships in our lives are not emphasized.
Why are friendships important?
Ever heard the saying “a healthy mind breeds a healthy body”? Well, now you have. Healthy friendships can prevent feelings of loneliness, depression, and even isolation and these all lead to poor mental and physical health conditions. Healthy friendships promote a healthy lifestyle that improves your quality of life and impacts your wellbeing positively. They may also make it easier to spot negative behaviours that you can improve on.
After a long day at work, school or whatever, all your body wants to do is relax and unwind. What better way to do so than with friends you are comfortable with? Not only can friends help you unwind but they can help you work through stressful situations by being a clutch. They can provide both mental and emotional support by encouraging, loving, and accepting you when you need it.
So, if you’re in a new location, starting a new work or school, or just looking to make new friends, here are some tips on how to build these new relationships.
- Go out more! You don’t meet new people in the confines of your home.
- Be friendly with people you meet. You never know who may end up being a great friend.
- Be yourself always. It’s important to attract people who like you for you.
- Put in the effort needed to get to know people.
- Go to social gatherings and events!
- Organize a social gathering or event! It's always a good idea to throw a party.
- Encourage meetups and hangouts with people you want to have a relationship with. These activities should be something everyone will enjoy.
- Make sure you're attentive to what the other party needs and go at a pace that is comfortable with everyone
- Don’t be shy to use social media or other platforms such as Facebook, Instagram or even Bumble to meet new people.
- Don’t be intimidated
- Recognize that people are different, so be open to meeting people from different backgrounds.
A healthy friendship is like a blooming plant. It has to be nurtured for a long period of time. We should be patient and understand true friendship may take time. Also, remember that friendship never stops being nurtured as it will fade away without proper care. So go out there and be the social Bee I know you can be!
