There comes a time in life when everything comes to an end. Studies, school or job, all eventually come to their final stage but relationships never, such as friendship. Usually, friends are the ones who remain constant in our lives. So what do you do when you’re going through a rough patch with your friend?

Personally, I find that the older you get the closer you become with your friends. As youngsters, we all had that one friend we called our ‘best friend’ and we only hung out with him or her. That does continue into adulthood, but you also become closer with your other friends. You spend more time with them, want to be a part of their lives. But spending time apart from them never hurts quite as much as spending time apart with your best friend.

There are multiple reasons to fight with your friends. Maybe they’re not giving you enough attention, maybe they are giving you too much attention, or maybe you just feel left out. In my opinion, there are four phases of a fight with one’s close friend.

1. The incident which resulted in you and your friend to have a difference.

2. Avoiding each other. When you laugh it off pretending it’s all good.

3. Realising and calming down; this is when you and your friend realise that things should be made smooth and that you both should talk about it.

4. Reconciling. The best time, you get closer to each other.

The one feeling that’s constant whether you’re enjoying a day out, taking a boring class, or even fighting is the affection you feel for your friends. This affection is what makes you happy when they are around, hurt when you fight, sad when you’re not with them and disappointed when you miss a fun moment with them.

When one goes through a rough patch with one’s friends, the important thing is to not let it be an important thing. Disagreement happens all the time, no matter how alike two people are. If we make a fuss over every little thing, we might miss out on the big things. When we achieve something, like winning a big competition, the first thing we do is call up a friend to tell them about it. Everything would be pointless if we didn’t have anyone to share it with; be it joy or sorrow, a slice of pizza or a plate of biryani.

If you’re going through a rough patch with your friends, don’t make it a matter of life and death. Compromise, joke around, and you’ll be back to your old habits in no time.

Giving up friends is simply not an option, no matter how exasperated they make us. With all their quirks and eccentricity, they give life the brighter colours it desperately needs. We can love them or hate them, but they will always hold a special place in our heart and in our life. Besides, what’s life without friends?

Published in Dawn, Young World, December 18th, 2021