With finals just around the corner, it is a stressful time for everyone and sometimes tensions run high. This can lead to problems in your friendships. Maybe you snapped at your friend because you are under stress. Maybe you are roommates and you had a huge fight over something stupid, like not doing the dishes. I don’t know your situation and it is none of my business, but I have definitely been through my share of friend drama.
Based on past experience, the best thing to do right away is give yourself, and your friend, space. Allow yourself to calm down and collect your thoughts before talking to your friend again. It is only fair to give them a chance to do the same.
The next thing to do is confront, but do not blame, your friend. After you have collected your thoughts and feel like it is time to move past the issue you should go talk to your friend. Make sure they are also ready to talk, and then tell him or her your side of the story. Or tell them what they did that bothered you. Also, listen to his or her side of it. If you start by accusing your friend before you hear his or her side it probably will not end well. As my mother would say “put yourself in their shoes and see how you like it from where they’re standing.” As much as it annoys me, she is right.
Apologize, apologize, apologize! I cannot stress enough that apologizing is important. Lets be honest here, we’re not in high school anymore, so who cares who says sorry first? If you want to work things out with your friend then just say you are sorry. Let them know you care. If you are like me then you are super stubborn and think you are always right. However, right or wrong, I apologize. At the end of the day it is your friendship that matters – not who has the best argument.
Do not forget to be honest. It might be awkward at first, but it could prevent a fight in the future. Your friend or roommate is not a mind reader and do not realize they have said or done something that has upset you. Tell them. You don’t have to be rude; just pull them aside and explain how you feel. Maybe even make a pact to always be honest in the future.
Finally, move on. Do not dwell on a problem after it has been discussed and worked out. You will most likely just get annoyed and angry all over again, which is not good for anybody. Like I said earlier, at the end of the day your friendship is what is important.
Cue Toy Story’s “You’ve got a friend in me.”
