Arguments and disagreements with friends can happen

Even if you didn’t mean to hurt your friend, or maybe they didn’t mean to hurt you, it can still make you feel a lot of strong emotions and lead to a fight or disagreement.

Swipe through this section for some helpful ways to work through fights with friends.

Speak in a Calm Tone

If you and your friend are in a fight or disagreement, do your best to stay calm and speak in a respectful manner. When you share what you are upset about, use "I" statements instead of "you" statements.

When you use “I” statements, it means that you are focusing on your own emotions and how the topic of the fight is making you feel.

When you use “you” statements, it means that you are focusing on the other person instead of the topic of the fight and can lead to attacking each other personally.

Take a Break

When you and a friend are arguing, if you are doing your best to stay calm and use “I” statements, sometimes it can still get intense and it may make you even more upset or angry.

If you start to get more angry, it’s important to step away and take a break to calm down. Taking a break and some deep breaths can be very helpful, this will give you a chance to process your thoughts and come back to the conversation ready to speak respectfully.

Actively Listen

Actively listening means you are giving your friend your undivided attention, listening to them carefully, reflecting on what your friend said and trying to understand their side.

Give your friend an opportunity to express their thoughts and feelings without interruption. When you do this, it helps you be more thoughtful with how you respond to them.

Agree to Disagree

Sometimes, you and your friend may not be able to get past a disagreement about something, and it's okay to agree to disagree.

Even if you both disagree on the topic, you can still respect your friend's opinion and be willing to compromise if necessary. It’s important to focus on finding solutions and ways to move forward to continue being friends, rather focusing on who should win the argument.

Apologize and Forgive

If needed, sincerely apologize for any mistakes you made or hurtful words you may have said to your friend. When your friend forgives you after you apologize, forgiveness can help release negative emotions and allows healing to begin..

Remember, making and keeping friends is a learning process. It's okay to make mistakes, but it's also important to learn from these experiences and create healthy friendships!