How to reconcile with a friend after a disagreement or fight

In the words of Muhammad Ali, “Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It’s not something you learn in school. But if you haven’t learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learned anything.”  

Having good friends in your life is one of the best gifts one needs to be grateful for because, if the truth be told, good friends are hard to come by these days.  

As much as we get along with our friends, the possibility of having arguments or fights cannot be eliminated because, after all, we are all humans with our differences.   

It is not unusual for arguments or fights to ensue between you and your friends, but it only becomes bad when you both are unwilling to reconcile.   

You should not lose worthwhile friendships because of petty disagreements, ego, and an inability to admit your mistakes and apologise.   

Are you currently in a fight with a good friend of yours? Are you on the verge of losing a worthwhile friendship because of a disagreement or fight?  

You need not worry; discussed in this article are steps to help you reconcile with your friend.  

1. Take a break   

As much as it hurts you to get into a disagreement or fight with your friend, you can’t just amend things immediately. You need to give each other a break, although this break should not be long so you both don’t lose touch.  

Taking a break after a fight or argument with your friend allows you to reflect on what happened and gives you quality time to think things through.   

Taking a break allows you both to get calm and be in a better frame of mind to decide on what to do next.  

I know you love your friend, but give them a little space after that fight or disagreement!  

2. Recognise your role in the disagreement   

For every fight or argument that takes place between friends, both parties have played a role before it happened. So, you don’t need to play “the saint” if you truly want to be reconciled with your friend.   

Look back and carefully analyse the scenario. What did you say that was wrong? How did you speak to your friend? Were you too aggressive or defensive?  

All these, and many more, are to be reflected upon, and the most important thing is that you should be willing to take responsibility for your faults.  

3. Make plans to see each other   

The brief space you allowed between you and your friend will have afforded you both time to be calm after the fight or argument.   

So, as the good friend that you are, the next thing you should do is to make plans to see your friend. Put a call through  to your friend. If you feel your friend will not be willing to pick up your call, you can send a text message apologising and asking if it’s possible for you both to meet.  

If your friend is a friend indeed, they should be willing to meet and make amends.  

4. Apologise sincerely   

When you finally get the chance to meet, you should apologise sincerely.   

 You don’t need to play the “blame game”, whether you are the one who was at fault or not, you need to show your maturity and commitment towards the friendship by taking the bold step to apologise first.  

Apologising first doesn’t mean you are a fool or you are the one at fault, it just means you recognise valuable relationships and you understand the worth of such relationships in an individual’s life.   

If your friend is truly a friend indeed and they understand the importance of a valuable and worthwhile friendship, I am sure they will be willing to reconcile with you after the fight or disagreement, regardless either of you was hurt. 

Even as you move on in that friendship, here are 5 ways to maintain and sustain friendships  

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