How To Be Supporting A Friend
How to be supporting a friend!
We do talk a lot about finding friends on this blog. After all, it is called Wise Friendships for a reason! However, what we haven’t talked about much is being a supportive friend yourself. One of the best things you can do as a friend is being there for them.
But what does that entail? Does it mean you have to solve all their problems? Is it about saying yes to everything, or challenging them as a person? It can be confusing knowing what your friend appreciates and what they don’t. But don’t worry, that’s what I’ll be talking about today!
In this post, I’ll go over 5 different things you should know when it comes to supporting a friend. These techniques and strategies will help you be the best friend you can be. You definitely don’t have to be perfect, no one is. But if you make the effort to be a supportive friend, it will go a long way.
Without further ado, let’s get started!
1. Listen to what they have to say.
I say it over and over again; listening is such an important skill to have! And this definitely applies when it comes to supporting a friend. Whether your friend is having a good time or going through hard times, you always want to be that friend who always listens to them.
That means genuinely hearing what they have to say and replying to it. Or simply hearing them out and letting them talk. While a good friendship is about giving and taking, being a supportive friend means giving them space to talk to you. It’s definitely not easy to always be listening as it can be mentally exhausting. But your friend should know their limits to not give you so much burden. As long as you’re willing to listen, you’re already ahead of the game.
2. Be willing to help.
A friend can be helpful in so many ways. A lot of people when they think of helping, they think of money but that’s not true at all! If anything, money can be a huge detriment to a friendship. But that’s a topic for another day.
You can be a helpful by doing things such as:
- Giving advice to them when they ask for it
- Helping them with physical tasks
- Going out with them
- Being resourceful and trying to help a friend as much as you can
- Taking care of you during a night out 🙂
The key is helping out in small ways. It’s okay to give a little and not expect anything in return. That’s what a good supporting friend would do!
3. Be there for them.
One of the most important things when it comes to being a supportive friend is being there for them when they need you. This is especially true when they’re going through a hard time, and need friends to help them through.
Now I’m not saying you need to be their therapist; that is a job left best for the doctors. The key is being there when they need you the most. What happens often is that so-called friends disappear when someone is going through a rough patch. Or when they’re no longer “useful,” people don’t want to hang out with them anymore. Unless they’re treating you bad, don’t be that friend to leave them when they’re down and out. Be a supportive friend to help them get through the hard times.
4. Stand up for your friends when appropriate.
Being a supportive friend means standing up for them when appropriate. If they are being disrespected by someone, whether in-person or online, be that friend to stick up for them and support what they say!
I remember my most memorable moments when I was being attacked by someone verbally, only to have my friends back me up. Those friends were willing to help me when needed, and I appreciated that. Likewise, I try to be there to help my friends whenever they are being verbally attacked by someone else.
Of course you want to be reasonable as well. If your friend is acting out of line, then you should let them know that. Being a supportive friend doesn’t mean going against your own rules and boundaries. So try to strike that balance between helping a friend versus your own beliefs.
5. Being honest with them.
Last but not least, I feel like being a supportive friend involves a lot of honesty with them. Because if a friend can’t trust you to be truthful to them, then what kind of friend are they really?
Honesty is definitely a tough subject in a friendship. No one wants to be the one to potentially hurt someone’s feelings. And sometimes a friend is not always looking for honesty. But I also believe simply pampering your friend and only wanting them to please them is not a genuinely good friendship. In my experience, the best kind of friendships involve a lot of honesty, and that could potentially mean hearing things they may not like.
Usually, I only give suggestions and criticism if a friend asks. Or if I feel I need to be truthful about a topic when they don’t see the full picture. Of course, it’s their life and they can do whatever they want. But in all these cases, I am being honest to help them, not to hurt them. That is the main importance.
Summary
To summarize, here are the 5 things you should know it comes to supporting a friend:
- Listen to what they have to say.
- Be willing to help.
- Be there for them.
- Stand up for your friends when appropriate.
- Being honest with them.
And there you have it; 5 things you should know when it comes to supporting a friend. There are definitely a lot of things to know, but I do hope you found this post useful! It’ll make more sense as you keep doing these things.
Do you have any specific techniques or suggestions to supporting a friend that I haven’t mentioned? I’d like to know! Leave them in the comments below.
