ROdown Blog
Fights with Friends
Even the best of friends experience rough patches at some point or another, that’s part of life. We often say things we don’t mean in the heat of the moment and end up hurting each other’s feelings. Whether it is over dishonesty, unreliability, or just a rumour going around - fighting with friends is always a sticky situation that comes with a whole range of negative emotions. This could be a small misunderstanding or a dramatic blow-up, either way fights are always pretty stressful to deal with. Although it’s impossible to control how our friends react during a fight, we can manage our own behaviour and learn to wave the white flag of truce.
Just as anybody else, I have had my fair share of disagreements with friends throughout the years. One of the most recent fights involved my best friend and her latest boyfriend who she seemed to be spending a lot of time with. We started hanging out less and less as their relationships progressed, and I began to feel neglected - as if she had forgotten all about me! When she ditched me on multiple occasions at the last minute to see her boyfriend, I got fed up and screamed at her. Looking back, I now know that was not the right thing to do. After we both took time to cool off and think about the situation, we talked it out and resolved everything. Although at first it was difficult for us to admit we were both out of line, we came to an understanding, apologised to each other, and moved on.
Here are some strategies I have picked up as a result of ‘lessons learned’ from previous fights with friends:
1. Give yourself and your friend time/space to calm down and think rationally about what’s going on - no one is in their right state of mind when they’re angry or upset about something
2. Communication is key if we want to make amends - nothing will be resolved if we don’t bring up what is bothering us (ignoring our feelings just aggravates us even further!)
3. Let go and be the bigger person - even though it can be difficult to swallow our pride and apologise, it is a much more effective way of handling a fight
What are some ways you guys overcome a fight? Which strategies have worked for you in the past?
Article by ReachOut Reporter, Lauren
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