It’s easy to take friendships for granted. With a busy schedule including work, family, and other activities, friends often fall to the wayside. Having healthy give-and-take relationships is essential for well-being and life-enjoyment. You don’t need to have a lot of friends, but it’s important to carve out time to maintain the healthy, beneficial relationships that you enjoy most.

Why is Friendship So Important?

While having friends might not be essential for survival, they are necessary elements of a fulfilling and meaningful life. Having friends makes life more fun and enjoyable. They balance out the difficult aspects of living. They can also actively help you through tough times. Friendships provide many benefitsproven by research:

• Friends provide a sense of belonging.
• They increase your self-worth and confidence.
• A real friend encourages your healthy habits, like exercise andmeditation.
• They push you to be better.
• Time spent with friends reduces stress.
• Social ties reduce loneliness, a risk factor for health problems and a shorter lifespan.

All of these are signs of a relationship with a real friend, someone who cares about you. Friendships can also be toxic and damaging. As important as it is to develop healthy friendships, you should also identify and eliminate the bad ones.

How to Be a Better Friend

Developing beneficial friendships begins with your own actions. Healthy relationships are balanced between two people. Each person provides and takes support, although the balance may shift with circumstances, of course. Be aware of your own actions in friendships, and do these things to nurture the relationship:

• Listen. One of the most important ways friends support each other is by listening. You can’t fix your friends' problems, but by listening actively and with compassion, you take away some of their burdens in difficult times.
• Open up. This is a two-way street, and you can’t only be a listener. You have to open up and let your friend be the listener. Sharing with each other builds intimacy and trust.
• Be reliable. Friends show up when needed. They keep commitments to each other and are there on time. If a friend can’t rely on you, they can’t get what they need from the relationship.
• Make time. This is a tough one for many people, but building and maintaining friendships takes effort. Yes, you can go without seeing each other for years and still be friendly when you come into contact again, but that isn’t really a friendship. Make time, be available, and reach out regularly.
• Be honest. Be honest but tactful with friends. You must be willing and able to speak openly with friends to establish trust and intimacy. Don’t be afraid to share your feelings, even if it’s hard for the friend to hear. Do so with tact and compassion, though.

Life is busy, and it’s easy to get caught up in work and schedules. Make time for what matters, which should include friendships. Focus on those friends who you most need in your life and who actively support and make time for you. They deserve an equal input of friendship.