How to Repair a Friendship

Everybody hurts sometimes. When you and your friend are both hurting, it's especially bad. Realize that a little tiff is no reason to throw years of companionship down the proverbial drain. Here are some quick tips to repair a friendship and get back your best pal.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

1. Open the lines of communication. Nothing can happen unless you can communicate with your friend, so do what you can to start the discussion. Use whatever medium you can: instant messages, texting, email, phone or (if possible) face-to-face conversation.

2. Tell them how you feel and ask how they feel. Always do so in a calm, courteous way, repeatedly emphasizing that you want to be friends again.

3. Give them some space. If communication doesn't work, one or both of you are too emotionally charged to set things right at this point. Let things cool down before you try anything else. Plus, sometimes absence makes the heart grow fonder!

4. Swallow your pride. If things still aren't working out, honestly assess whether it is you who is in the wrong. Try seeing things from your friend's perspective. How would you act in their position?

5. Apologize when you're wrong. You might be thinking that you, too, were wronged, but that doesn't mean you can't apologize for wronging your friend.

6. Talk to your other friends. They may help you think of a way to fix the friendship. If nothing else, you'll be in friendly company.

7. Accept that friendships change. If none of these tactics work, it may be time to realize that sometimes the best thing is for two formerly close people to go their separate ways.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't force a friendship just because you think you ought to be friends with them. Know when it's right to end things.

• Be willing to admit you're wrong and move past the incident.