Explore what makes a healthy friendship and how to resolve disagreements positively.
Friendships are one of the most important parts of life, and learning to build and maintain healthy relationships is a crucial skill. Good friendships are built on trust, respect, kindness, honesty and care. Friends support each other, celebrate successes, and help each other through difficult times. However, even the closest friends disagree sometimes — and that is completely normal. What matters is how conflicts are handled. Arguing, ignoring each other or saying unkind things can damage friendships. Instead, resolving disagreements involves: listening carefully to the other person without interrupting; calmly explaining how you feel using ‘I’ statements (‘I felt upset when…’); trying to understand their point of view; looking for a compromise that works for both people; and — if it feels too hard to sort out alone — asking a trusted adult to help mediate. It is also important to recognise when a friendship is becoming unhealthy — for example, if someone is being controlling, unkind or pressuring you to do things you don’t want to do. A good friend never makes you feel bad about yourself.