Many people think that long-term relationship is indestructible, however, conflicts in any kind of communication are inevitable. We are here to find a suitable way to get out of any sticky situation with your friend without losing a friendship.
Unfortunately, we do not resemble the characters in comedy series, whom each time manage to resolve all conflicts with friends by the end of a 30-minute episode with the help of ingenuity and wit. We do not always manage to evade all problems in friendships with the same grace. In reality, our opinions, observations, and actions are a lot more different.
Those who tend to avoid conflict instinctively try to stay away from friends after an argument. At first, this may seem like a smart decision, because the distance will relieve us of stress or unnecessary clarification of the relationship. Do not forget that in this case we often sacrifice our stability and risk losing the friendship forever.
Fortunately, there are ways to resolve conflicts without losing friends, and here are a few of them:
- Discuss the situation as soon as the moment is right
When a conflict starts and emotions are overfilling you, it is wise to take a short pause and stay alone for a moment. Nevertheless, this pause should not be too prolonged.
Within 24 hours from the moment of the conflict, you should call or send a text in a chat messenger and express in simple words what you regret. You can use NEEO Messenger, especially if you and your friend speak different languages because it’s hard to speak a foreign language correctly when it comes to an emotional situation. Then, within a day from the moment of conflict or tension in the relationship, it is worth calling and expressing in simple words what you regret and what you would like.
- Problems cannot be solved in a matter of a minute
It might seem that the entire future of our life depends entirely on one serious and hard conversation. It is wise to remember, just as friendship itself develops gradually, so the complete solution of problems takes time. It is fine to solve problems gradually.
- Show empathy for your friend’s feelings
When we want to keep love and strong friendship, we have to be extremely polite and listen to the other person’s point of view carefully. The most common mistake here is to push your own opinion and hurt the other person’s feelings. Try to react to any manifestations of pain, discomfort, or anger, verbalize your observations to the interlocutor and make him or her feel more comfortable during a hard conversation.
- Learn to listen
First of all, you should analyze and accept your friend’s point of view, no matter how hard it is. If something in his or her words causes you strong emotions, try to contain them until you fully understand everything that your friend wants to tell you. If something is not clear, ask again and try to find out what your friend hopes to get out of this conversation, or what is needed for both of you to feel better.
- Speak clearly and concisely
After you, without interrupting, listen to everything that the other person wanted to say, it will be your turn to share your feelings and thoughts. Try to express your thoughts as clearly and frankly as possible, without hurting your friend’s feelings.
All in all, any conflict is as exhausting as possible at the moment, so allow time for the relationship to fully recover. Continue doing what you love to do together and positive emotions from companionship over time will help to smooth out the remaining tension.
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