How to Resurrect a FriendshipBy Lisa Xing [Relationships]
|
||
 Test the WatersAll throughout your communication, you should try to gauge his or her attitude towards the situation. If your friend seems a little hesitant to open up to talk, then keep up the emails on a semi-regular basis and with every communication, tell a little more about your life now and ask about theirs. Or, if you’re off to a good start, just ask them where they stand and if they want to meet up sometime. The Rendezvous The in-person get-together is crucial in re-establishing ties with your old friend. Because everybody is different, it’s hard to generalize. The most important advice is to choose something both of you are comfortable with and, if it’s a get-together to reconcile, a neutral location may be best, like a coffee shop, instead of your place or theirs. Follow your instincts though. If it looks good, don’t hesitate to suggest you go for lunch after your coffee. Don’t be afraid to bring up old memories you shared together and laugh over inside jokes again. This is key to bonding, through experiences that only you two understood or had. If It Goes Well If this initial meeting goes well, congrats! This is a major step in your friendship and you should let your friend know so. Give them a shout, even if it’s through email, afterwards and tell him or her how much fun you had. Wait a bit and suggest you do something together again. If that meeting goes well, then you both are set again! If It Doesn’t If this first get-together doesn’t go so well, don’t get frustrated or upset. It’s common for people who haven’t spoken to or seen each other in a while, especially after a bad fight or experience, to be a little distant. It’s also totally normal for it to be awkward. Sometimes it’s easy to re-establish a friendship, but at other times, it can be a slow and difficult process. The situation is different for everyone. The important thing is to not get discouraged. Keep communication open between the two of you, try to talk about why it didn’t go so well and try again! Give it a few chances. ________________________ it takes two Just keep in mind that no matter what, it takes two to tango. In other words, if one person is putting all of the effort into the friendship and the other isn’t, it won't work. Remember that and always try to meet someone halfway, so to speak. Take initiative sometimes, but be sure the other person is also making an effort to make it work or else your efforts may be in vain. |
||
| BACK | ||
|
||
|
||
