Tuesday Tidbit: Forgiveness and How to Be a Good Support System!

written by Rachel W.

Rough patches and arguments can unfortunately happen to any relationship. The best way to fix any problem is forgiveness! This article can help you learn how to be a good support system for your friends.

Whatever the circumstances, it can really stink if you and a friend aren’t on good terms. In order to move past any bad spots, both sides need to take a step back and try to understand if anything they did was wrong (intentional or not). This is probably the hardest thing to do because you sometimes have to point out your own faults. However, being a good friend means being accepting of each other’s faults and being able to move past it! This will make forgiveness easier.

Being a good friend means being accepting of each other’s faults and being able to move past it.

Depending on the situation, forgiveness may be easy, or it can be very tough. Don’t feel like you should move on from something if it is still bothering you, but there are times when it is better to just forgive and forget. There is no “right time” to forgive someone; only you can make that call. So, when you are ready to forgive someone, just be honest about everything!

Hopefully, you and your friends are all on good terms, so you won’t have to worry about any bad situations. If that is the case, here are some tips for being there to support your friends!

• Be sure to show your friends that you appreciate them! They may be having a bad day or just need some reassurance, and you can help by showing them that you care about them.
• Make sure you listen to their problems; the best way to be supportive is to just listen to them! You can give better advice if you understand where they are coming from.
• If your friend does something good, be happy for them! Maybe they got a good grade on a test that they studied hard for, or they scored a goal at a game. Friendships thrive off positivity, not jealousy.
• Lastly, like I said before, just be honest with each other! Friendships are built on trust, and if you can be completely genuine and truthful around your friends it makes a huge difference.

Every person and every relationship is different, so you can apply these tips to your friendships however you see fit. Just remember to always be compassionate and stay true to yourself!