Three teenage girls who are friends laughing and smiling posing for a photo.

Being best friends with someone means that you’ll sometimes disagree on certain things and maybe even have a fight about them.

 

When that happens, it can be upsetting but it doesn’t mean your friendship is over! 

Fights between friends happen and the important thing is to know what to do in order to put things right again. 

So, if you have a fight, here are a few tips to get your friendship back on track:

 

Think before you speak (or type!) 

It’s natural to want to immediately react by expressing our outrage or anger at something the other person has done or said. Unfortunately, that often makes things worse.  

Take a deep breath and really think about the best way to show the other person how you’re feeling without insulting them. If you’re doing it over text or instant messaging you have even more time to craft the response you want. 

 

Take some time out 

If you feel like you’re going to explode with frustration at your friend’s behaviour, it’s best to just leave the room.  

The last thing you want to do is say something you end up regretting that you can never take back. 

 

Talk it out with a trusted adult 

While it’s best to keep your other friends out of the fight you’re having with your best friend, it’s natural to want to talk it through with a parent or older sibling to get a fresh perspective on it. 

 

Keep it private 

Don’t share the details of your fight on your social media channels. That will not end well.  

 

Listen to what they have to say 

When you do meet up with your friend again, be present and actively listen to what they’re telling you.  

It’s good to hear their side of the story – maybe they are going through something in their lives that you don’t know about. Pay attention to their words instead of just planning your response in your mind as they’re talking! 

 

Acknowledge your role in the fight 

It takes two people to have a fight so it’s important to remember that you played a role in it as well. Could you have done things differently? Did something happen to you that day that made you behave in a way that you wouldn’t normally? What exactly made you upset or angry? 

Once you take responsibility for your actions, it will hopefully make it easier to accept what has happened and move on. 

 

Be respectful 

Even if you have listened to your friend and still disagree with them, it’s important to be respectful of their opinion. 

The question you now need to ask yourself is if this fight is worth losing a friend over. Maybe you will end the friendship but maybe you just need some time apart or perhaps you can still be friends but not be as close as you once were or just hang out in a group setting.  

 

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