​Building Stronger Friendships

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• Don’t wait for people to come up to you, sometimes YOU have to make the initiative

  • Hi my name is _______________, what is your name?

• Get involved in activities

  • Athletics

  • Groups

  • Clubs

• The more things you are involved in, the more chances you have to meet new people

• Focus on your similarities, not your differences

 

Characteristics Of A Good Friend

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• Self Confidence - A belief or trust in one’s own ability

• People are naturally drawn towards people that are confident

• Character - The way you think, feel, and behave

  • Trustworthy (Always be truthful)

  • Respect (Treat other’s how you want to be treated)

    • Treat others how THEY want to be treated

  • Responsible (Do what is expected from you / Parents & Teachers)

  • Fairness (Being able to empathize)

  • Caring (Putting others before yourself)

 

Breaking The Ice – Clearing The Pathway For Others To Follow

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• Share something  in your life that is either new or interesting

• Tell a silly joke or do a quick magic trick​

• Give someone a compliment

  • I really like your shoes, where did you get them?

  • You were great at baseball practice today, how did you get to be so good?

• Offer up some help

 

You Have To Work At Friendships – A friendship is an emotional relationship between two people. (Emotional = Feelings)

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• EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

  • The ability to manage your emotions in positive ways to relieve stress

• Can your friends annoy you sometimes?

• Can your friends stress you out sometimes?  

• How can we use our emotional intelligence to deal with these situations?  

  • Pause for 10 seconds before reacting

    • Allows the adrenaline to dissipate

  • Take a little break from that friend

  • Ask them if they are O.K.?

    • Try to see the situation from THEIR perspective

• When dealing with friendships or any relationship, VIOLENCE is NEVER the correct answer

• Acting violently indicates that you are not able to control your emotions

• If you find that you are not able to control your emotion, it is O.K. to talk to your parents about it or your school counselor

• Friendships can sometimes take a little extra work so sometimes we need extra help