How to Earn a Friend's Trust Back

If you have betrayed your friend in one way or another, your relationship will take a long time to heal. Although you may not intentionally hurt your friend, the fact is that she no longer trusts you. You have to earn her trust back before you can go back to being friends again.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Discuss the reasons behind your actions. In this case, honesty is definitely the best policy. Explain your feelings and how you now realize that you made a terrible mistake by betraying him.

2. Give it time. You are not going to win her trust back overnight. Your friend needs time to heal and to forget the hurt of your betrayal. If the betrayal was very serious, it may take a very long time for her to even talk to you again.

3. Go out of your way for the person. Do something nice and let the friend know that you are willing to go out of your way for him. For example, offer to help him on a school project if you share a class.

4. Make a promise to never betray her again. Let her know if you ever do anything like that again, you'll understand if she never speaks to you again.

Tips & Warnings

• You have to learn to move on if your friend can't forgive you and trust you again. In this case, your relationship likely can't be saved.
• You can ask mutual friends to lobby on your behalf as well. Ask them to let him know that you are deeply sorry and would never betray him again.