Tips for Teen Girls on Maintaining Strong Friendships

There is truly nothing like a great friend! If you’re lucky to have one, it’s important to know how to be a good friend so that you can maintain your friendships over the long term with the people you want to hold on to in your life. Keep reading for our best tips on maintaining healthy teen friendships that may last a lifetime!

Be a friend to yourself

Although your relationship with other people isn’t entirely dependent on the relationship you have with yourself, those relationships do affect one another. The skills it takes to be a good friend to others are skills that are necessary for a healthy relationship with yourself as well. The better you know yourself, the easier it is to pick friends who align with your values, likes, and needs. Sometimes friendships aren’t all sunshine and rainbows. Misunderstandings can happen and it’s important to know how to extend love and compassion to others in difficult situations. At the same time, sometimes the best option is to extend love and compassion to yourself by setting a boundary or standing up for yourself. The better you learn to treat yourself, the more skills you have to treat your friends well also. 

Action step: Try journaling about how you treat yourself versus how you treat your friends. What similarities and differences do you notice between the two? Identify some of the things you like about how you treat yourself and consider if it would be something nice to add to your friendship. Then, identify some of the ways you treat your friends and consider whether or not you could also treat yourself that way.

Learn how to communicate

Although we’re talking about healthy teen friendships, the skill of communication is one that you will need for the rest of your life with friends, family, and even strangers. Mastering this early in life gives you the opportunity to express yourself fully to the people around you. Whether you’re telling a friend that they're important to you, asking for support, or navigating a difficult conversation, learning how to communicate with the people around you is really an act of love as you’re willing to meet them in ways they can understand. It’s important to remember also that a big part of communicating well includes listening. Being a good listener is a superpower and can make your friends feel really loved and supported. 

Action step: Ask your friend about something that’s going on in their life or something that is important to them. Make sure to really listen to them and make note of some ways you can respond that shows that you were listening and that you care. Be sure to thank them for sharing with you and let them know that it makes you happy that they trust you. 

Enjoy shared activities

Friends play a lot of important roles in our lives but especially in friendships for teen girls it’s important to remember that friends are there to have lots of fun with. A great way to bond with your friends is by participating in a shared hobby or trying a new activity or sport. Learning how to work as a team or try something new together can strengthen your friendships just as much as more serious life moments. As we mention in our blog Managing School Stress for Teen Girls, fun in friendships is an important part of a healthy life balance, and can help us get through some of life's more stressful moments so enjoy your friends!

Action tip: Try a new game with your friends it can be a game you buy or one you make up. The most important thing is to do something new and have fun!

Provide the support you’re asking for

Another good way to help maintain your friendships is to remember that friendships require a healthy combination of give and take. While it’s absolutely normal to want and expect our friends to be there for us, it’s important to learn how to reciprocate by being there for them too. Make sure that you’re someone your friends can rely on as much as you need to rely on them. 

Action tip: Ask your friends what actions make them feel most supported and communicate the same about yourself to them. 

Be honest and genuine

At the core of any good friendship, you’ll find honesty. Showing love and being a good friend includes learning how to be honest with your friends. Friends don’t need to lie to one another or pretend to be something they’re not. If you find yourself needing to hide things or change who you are, it might be time for a moment of truth with yourself to realize that the person asking you to do that might not be a true friend. On the flip side, being genuine includes loving and accepting others for who they are. Strong relationships are built on respect and care, both of which are much easier to give when it’s genuine. If you find yourself having to fake it or force it with someone else, they might not be the best fit for you as a friend. This doesn’t mean that either one of you is a bad person or that you have to dislike them or be mean to them. The fact is that sometimes people just don’t totally click. You can respect them as a person without having to force a friendship with them.

Action tip: Think about how you feel around the people you call your friends. Do you feel like you can be yourself around them? Do you enjoy it when your friends are themselves around you? Think of one way you can show up more authentically in your friendships. 

If you’re looking for more support with maintaining healthy teen friendships, consider our group therapy option at Blossom Into A Better You in St. Pete. This mother-daughter program is a great option for girls to learn in a warm, supportive community environment with other moms and daughters. Contact us today to learn more!