This year, India is celebrating Friendship Day on August 7. It's celebrated to cherish and honour the relationship of love, trust, and respect we have with our friends. No two friends are the same as each one brings a different flavour to our life. This brings us to the question: what are the qualities of a good friend?
You have probably had a lot of amazing and not-so-amazing friends over the years. For many, making friends with people feels harder considering the efforts and energy one has to put in.
With so many casual acquaintances to nurture, you often don't know where friendship will bloom. Knowing what made some of them stand out more than the rest can help you choose the right friends going forward.
Here are the 5 qualities a friend must have:
1) Supportive
It is important to surround ourselves with friends who are supportive in times of both joy and distress. A supportive relationship instils a sense of ease and further impacts our mental well-being. Even though you have to fight your battles, the presence of a supportive friend/s makes the journey easier. Although they might not always concur with your choices or viewpoints, they genuinely care about you.
2) Non-judgemental
Your friend may disagree or question your decisions but they will never judge you for the choices you make. Around them, you can come to the table as your true self.
3) Loyal
Every relationship demands loyalty and it is perhaps the most prized quality. So, when it comes to friendships, loyalty means you make your friend/s feel secure. Loyal friends are impartial and they do not believe in conditional friendships. Loyalty and truth-worthy go hand in hand. If your friends are loyal, they are worth all the trust.
4) Good listener
Instead of reacting or giving you philosophical lessons, on some days, all you need is a friend who listens to you. Friends who are good listeners give you the room to speak and validate your emotions. They are not dismissive of your feelings, and above all, they help you find the right perspective.
5) Biggest critic
Best friends are your biggest critic and they are willing to say things that most people will not say. They tell us what we don't want to hear. Such friends pat our backs on achievements and hold up a mirror to make us see the things we don't want to admit or face.
