5 Behaviours Which Burn Trust In Friendships

School holidays are the perfect time to reassess your friendships! Semester 2 offers us the chance or a fresh start and a clean slate in how we show up for others and who we choose to hang out with.

So often our focus is on what our friends are doing TO US but it’s equally important to take stock of our own behaviour. Are we exhibiting positive traits? Are we being the type of friend we want to attract?

Here are 5 small behaviours which burn trust and could be unravelling your friendships …

1. Public putdowns

When you deliberate embarrass your friend by pointing out in front of others that your friend maybe miss-spelled or mispronounced a word or you make fun of them for not knowing something.

2. Not Being Socially Sensitive

When you talk about social gatherings that your friend isn’t invited to or wasn’t invited to.

3. Calling Them Out

Your friend shows enthusiasm for something in a group only for you to say, “You told me last week you hated that show!” Or “You said last week that basketball was stupid!”. I’ve even heard about primary school girls announcing “You said you hated her last night!” in front of classmates. Ay carumba.

4. Not Being A Vault

When our friends share personal info with us (maybe they’re afraid to go on camp, maybe they have a secret crush) and then we betray their trust by sharing that info with others.

5. Whispering

Listen, there is a time and place for a discreet whisper. A “Can I borrow a pen?” or a “What page are we on?” – I have no issue with that. But so often girls (in particular) use whispering as a way to exclude and create a tone of unease. It’s the hand over the mouth, the glances and smirks. Whispering puts people on edge who assume they are the ones being whispered about. Whispering in front of others is not okay and is one of those classroom behaviours that can change the tone in a room within minutes.

It’s important to remember that no friendship is perfect and we all make mistakes. ONE bad moment shouldn’t mean the end of what has been a great friendship. We’re all flawed human beings and some days we just screw up.

When that happens, the key is to own our impact! That’s a fancy way of saying – APOLOGISE!

If we want robust, loyal friendships – we need to put the work in.

What’s some of the best and worst friendship behaviours you’ve noticed in schools recently?

For more friendship tips and advice head here!