It’s all too easy to forget about nurturing your friendships when we’re all living such busy lives. Before you know it, months can have gone by since your last girly night in and you and your BFFs are long overdue a catch up. Here are some simple ways to show your friends that you care and a reminder of why our friendships should be a priority in our lives. There are lots of simple things you can do to help maintain your friendships and remind your friends that they’re important to you. It’s vital to show friends that you care.

Show up when they need you

Friends should be there for each other through good and bad, and being there means you have to actually show up and show that you care about what they are going through. Whether it’s seeing through plans you’ve made together, replying to messages or calling back when you say you will. Knowing you can be counted on to be there, will show your friend just how much you care.

Listen to their rants

You might not always know what to say or have all the answers but just listening to your friend will show them that you care about what’s going on in their life, whether it’s good, bad or ugly. You can help ease their anxiety. Make sure you practice active listening (rather than just waiting for them to stop talking so you can have your turn to speak!). You have to take in everything they are saying and respond in a way that shows this care.

Remember important dates

Whether it’s a birthday, anniversary, job interview or date. If you remember when important things are happening for your friend you can be there to help them celebrate, commemorate or commiserate and they’ll know that you truly care. Especially if it’s a date they might not shout about online, such as the anniversary of a death. Showing you care enough to remember this is really powerful.

Celebrate their achievements

Being a good friend means celebrating their accomplishments as if they are your own accomplishments. So if they get a new job, pass their driving test, move house or have a baby, make sure you go beyond a quick ‘Congrats’ message and go that extra mile to let them know just how happy you are for them and that you truly care about their lives without any jelousy.

Give them a gift

You don’t need to wait for a special occasion to treat your best friend. Sometimes it’s nice to surprise people with a gift, just because! Buying your friend a gift shows them that you think about them, that you care about them and that you appreciate their friendship. Especially if you are sending a gift overseas to a long distance friend. It doesn’t have to be something over-the-top or expensive, just so long as it’s thoughtful and something you know that they’ll love, like luxury chocolate or beautiful flowers, for example.

Read my post on buying jewellery for friends!

Tell them how they make you feel

You might think they already know how much they mean to you but when was the last time you actually told them? Say it to their face over coffee, drop them a quick text, post it on social media for the world to see or give them a call. Let your friends know how important they are. You could write them a note or send them a thoughtful inspiring encouragement card when they are trying something new.

Why is Friendship So Important?

Friendships enrich our lives in so many ways and not just the obvious ones you might think of, like offering us encouragement and support or being a shoulder to cry on in difficult times. Studies have shown that loneliness and social isolation have a negative impact on health, and research suggests that strong friendships can help combat that and even reduce our risk of early death. Friends are good for our mental health and wellbeing too. They can reduce stress, build our confidence and support us emotionally through good times and bad.

Having good friends is a crucial part of a healthy, happy, well-balanced life and there are lots of simple ways we can nurture our friendships and show our friends that we care.

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