The pandemic has affected not just our wellbeing but our relationships as well, specifically friendships. People have become more distant from hanging out with others outside of their family to decrease contact with the outside world. With that, there has been a lack of contact in-person and electronically that’s caused many friendships to fizzle. Effort stopped being enforced on one or both ends and people slowly gave up on the friendship. This past year has given me time to reflect on what I’ve learned from gaining and losing friends during the pandemic.
- The people who want to be in your life will make time for you.
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If a time or day doesn’t work for someone, they should be the one to reschedule and reach out to you about a different time and day that works for them. This shows they care about the friendship and want to see you.
- If they aren’t there for you during the hard times, they aren’t worth being there for the good times.
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With the pandemic, we’re all going through a rough time. If they don’t try to text you and communicate with you to keep you sane, don’t spend another minute trying to get a hold of them. The ones who help you through your hardships are the ones worth keeping.
- Communication is key.
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If you don’t tell the person how you’re feeling, how will they know what to improve? The better you communicate about issues with the friendship and plan out a way to fix the problem(s), the stronger your friendship will be in the long run. No one is a mind reader. If you care about the friendship, this is imperative to do.
The people who value your worth and love in a friendship will be loyal to you without question. It’s time to realize friends who don’t brighten your days and add happiness to your life are the ones to have as the side characters. I’ve had friends come and go in the past year, but the ones who have stayed and the ones I met during the pandemic have gone above and beyond.