Balance in Friendship – 5 ways to make your friends feel special

“Treat your friends as you do your pictures and place them in their best light”
Lady Randolph Churchill

Just like romantic relationships, friendships should be celebrated and nurtured. Our friends bring love, sweetness, joy, and support into our lives. They deserve to be appreciated.

Moreover, International friendship day is marked annually on July 30 and National friendship day is on the 6th of August.

Finding a friend who connects with you at all levels is extremely rare which is why we should cherish such friendships.

A balanced friendship is a “give and take” one meaning both parties commit to each other, and both value and honor the other person. There are times in which balance is not always achieved in friendship when we consider different life occurrences and the people involved.

One friend might be a party planner and a jolly fellow, while the other friend might be an introvert, a great support system, and a great listener. Inability to understand an individual’s strengths and personal traits can harm the friendship.

While balance in friendship is not always well-defined, you should give the best version of yourself to the other person.

Now is the time to appreciate your friends by making them feel good. Here are five ways to make your friends feel special

Use your words! Tell your friends how much you appreciate them

Naill Horan once said, “Words will be just words till you bring them to life”.

Your friends are not mind-readers. Therefore, you should not assume they know how you feel about them. Take the initiative to send them appreciative words through a text, a call, a card, or sticky notes.

Good friendships have been affected by little communication. The right words can be all you need to mend a lost friendship. Say the words!

Listen and pay attention

Some friendships are off-balance when one friend is feeling resentful that they are giving more than they are getting back while the other friend believes that all is well.

Good listening skills might be all you need to correct that. Listen and ask them what’s wrong, and ask them to expand on their feelings. Asking about their feelings shows that you are genuine and want a change. Let them vent their anger and frustrations. Through this, both parties can work out a solution.

Do something nice for your friends

In a romantic relationship, nice gestures and surprises are beautiful ways of expressing your love to your partner. This act should also be extended to friendships. Be interested in what interests them, create a photo collage of pictures taken throughout your friendship journey to bring back memories of beautiful moments, surprise your friends with personalized gifts that hold sentimental value, and be intentional about making them feel beautiful and cherished.

If you are always the center of attention, sometimes you want to take a step back and let your friends shine.

Spend quality time together

Plan a day out doing activities you both like. Whether it’s attending a concert, visiting an art gallery, a restaurant, or shopping. The most important thing is that you make time to be together.

Pray for your friends

Praying for your friends demonstrates that you care and are ready to share their heavy burdens. As Christians, we should not only be friends that laugh and hang out only when things are good. We should also be friends that show our support and care amid obstacles. Praying for friends brings about pure love for them.