“To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.”
-Dr. Suess
Hey there, amigas! I have a question for you. Do you ever feel like friendships used to be easier before the “Social Media Era” came to be? Me too. Having extra ways to communicate with our friends now through the use of social media is great. But, there are a lot of cons to the world of “Facebook friends” instead of real life friends, too. Today, we are always in a rush, busy, and a large majority of our free time is spent online. So, where exactly do our real life friendships fit into our crazy worlds?
In today’s blog post, you are going to find the Ultimate Guide to Maintaining Friendships in the Age of Social Media. Sometimes it is easy to expect others to put in the effort because we feel too busy, but what if we became the friend who showed up for her friends? The friend who made the women in her life feel treasured? The friend who our friends can count on to not only “hype them up” on Instagram, but also hype them up in real life, too? In today’s post, I want to share five simple gestures you can incorporate into your life to be a better friend in the age of Facebook. Let’s hop in!
How to Be a Better Friend
- Let them know you are thinking of them.Sometimes we get a little too wrapped up in our own lives, we forget to reach out to our friends. Sure, we think of them often! But how often do we actually send a text or call that friend just to let them know they’re being thought of, and that they are loved? Probably not as much as we could. A quick text or phone call during your morning commute can brighten her day AND your day too!
- Balance out conversation.Girlfriends chat each others ears off! It’s just what we do. But, be cautious to make sure you balance out the conversation, so that both of you get ample talking time. Don’t cut her off, don’t make all of her stories and conversation turn into another thing about you! Allow the conversation to flow naturally, and work hard to make sure the conversation is beneficial for both parties. You will both appreciate feeling heard, and respected.
- Prioritize silence.There is so much value in silence. As our friends go through hard things, or challenging seasons in life, sometimes they do not need our advice. Sometimes they just need a listening ear, and a shoulder to cry on. We do not always have to try to fix their problems. Just listening to where they are coming from, and interacting with their conversation with head nods, and “mhm”‘s can make her feel supported, and heard.
- Be intentional about spending time together.Set aside a night once a week, or once a month where you and your friend get to spend quality time together. Have a girls night in, go shopping together, a FaceTime date, a bite to eat, a painting class, or anything else you like to do together. Time spent together is always fun no matter what you are doing. Being intentional about time spent together is crucial to make a friend feel important and loved.
- Take the initiative to CELEBRATE her, and your friendship whenever possible.Ever heard of a “friend-iversary”? Celebrate your friendship each year, or every few years with a girls trip, a shopping spree, or a spa day together. Or be the friend that she can count on to throw a big bash for her birthday! Every girl wants to celebrate, so come up with a lot of reasons to celebrate her, and your friendship any chance you can! You are both worth the celebration!
Although we are in trying times with the COVID-19 pandemic, we all could appreciate some girlfriend time. An outdoor coffee date, a FaceTime cocktail hour, or meet-up in a parking lot to chit chat while staying six feet apart. I hope you all are staying happy, and healthy. Focus this time of “isolation” on building friendships up in any way you can. I hope you enjoyed this Ultimate Guide to Maintaining Friendships in the Age of Social Media! Looking for some more suggestions on how to strengthen friendships? Check out this blog post by me, and another great resource here. You will be glad you did! Cheers!
