These 6 signs prove that your friendship is strong and healthy

Do you want to know if your friendship is healthy but also solid? A psychologist reveals 6 signs that prove this is the case.

Friends play an essential role in personal development. They are there in the good times such as weddings, parties, activities or shopping sessions … Friends are also there in the less good times of life. More difficult periods when they accompany you in mourning, or more generally, when you are sad, anguished or quite simply when you are not in good spirits. Depending on your professional and personal life, you can meet different people and befriend them. You can also keep your childhood friends and meet new people less. Regardless, your friends are there for you and you are there for them. But how do you know if a friendship is strong and healthy? There are several signs that can tell you if your relationship is not toxic and will last.

1 / You can say anything and feel comfortable not doing it

“A true friendship is a relationship in which you can choose whether or not to share certain things”, explains Zakia Rhiati, psychologist. So you can decide to tell everything about your life, or to hide certain parts. “Your friend must let you have a secret garden if you wish and you must do the same. This intimacy must be respected, it is not a question of merging because you are two fully-fledged beings.”

2 / You can build other relationships

Over the course of life, bonds of friendship are created in addition to those already existing. “When you forge a new friendship, you have to feel that the other is not going to hold it against you, that he does not have you”, warns the psychologist. “Just because you are building a new relationship doesn’t mean the person should feel threatened. The other is free to have other types of relationships as well.”

3 / You can be vulnerable

Having a healthy friendship relationship means being able to show yourself as you are, in good times and in bad times. “You should be able to cry bitter tears and laugh right after. It means you feel confident enough to show your vulnerabilities, not to feel judged.”, explains Zakia Rhiati.

4 / You can change your mind

“A good friend is someone who doesn’t judge you and who accepts your ambivalence and complexity”, specifies the psychologist. “A true friend is always benevolent.”

5 / You can talk about your desires and your limits

“Your relationship is secure enough to be able to express your needs, your desires but also your limits”, says Zakia Rhiati. In a friendship relationship, some people need more attention than others, and it’s important that you can tell your friend about your expectations, but also hear theirs. Finally, if something doesn’t appeal to you or pushes you beyond your limits, you also need to feel confident enough to point it out.

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6 / you don’t expect him to be like you

In friendship, it is very important to accept the differences with the other. “You have to accept that the way you show love and care is different for everyone”, specifies the psychologist. For example, while some people show affection by hugging or showing physical ailments, others prefer to give little touches. Everyone is different and that’s great!

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