The line between acquaintance and friendship can be very thin, and some situations will show you what kind of people around you really are.
Research from the University of Aalto in Finland and the University of Oxford in England has shown that after the age of 25, the number of friends in our lives begins to decline.
At that time, we usually graduated and each of us is going our own way. Many get married, move in search of work and a better life, start families and simply lose the feeling of a former innocent and fun friendship that would always fix our worst day.
So it can be challenging to find friends in adulthood, but some difficult life situations can open the way to true friendships, which were previously only acquaintances.
Below are some of the situations in which you will recognize how much the other person, even if only an acquaintance, cared about you, and this is exactly what can turn an acquaintance into a true friendship.
1. Jump in when you’re sick A
pandemic has shown how much gestures like those in self-isolation can mean, so someone leaves you groceries and medicine in front of your door. If you are alone in a new city or do not want older parents to bother with it, ask an acquaintance for this service. If she does it in that or a similar situation, it says a lot about her.
2. It is when you experience a breakup or divorce
When you experience a breakup or are about to divorce, and it was initiated by the other party, so you are in a state of complete shock, the help of other people is crucial to be able to stand on your own two feet.
If you live in a new city where you know almost no one but the former, the situation is even worse. To “survive” in this state at all, you have to ask anyone for help, even an acquaintance. If he responds, wipes away your tears, and listens to everything that has happened, a new, wonderful friendship is on the horizon.
3. Helps you with the death of a loved one The
death of a loved one, with the breakup or marriage and illness, is considered one of the three greatest pains a person can experience. Losing a loved one can trigger a lot of worries and fears, we can feel anxiety, helplessness, and insecurity. All this sometimes leads to panic attacks, and we often re-examine our lives, ie mortality.
Although grief is an emotional process, it often includes physical or health problems such as fatigue, decreased immunity, weight loss or sudden weight gain, nausea, pain, and insomnia.
And that’s when you need all the help you can get. If an acquaintance offers her help, accept it without thinking.
4. He calls you out when you are having a hard time
The mentioned situations of interruption and death of a close person leave deep wounds. Each person will go through the stages of grief in their own way, and there is no deadline for the time period. Each of us reacts differently. Each of us will go through denial, anger, depression, acceptance, and adjustment differently, but in that time you simply have to surround yourself with people.
If an acquaintance invites you for coffee, to the cinema, for a walk, a restaurant, a concert or any other activity, accept the invitation, no matter how much you would rather curl up under a blanket and cry.
5. You pay back her attention
To turn an acquaintance into a friendship, you must also contribute to it. So when you cry about your problems, let the other side talk about their experiences. Such stories will connect you. When you hear or see that she is sick, cook her something or at least order delivery. Ask if she needs to babysit, tidy up the apartment.
Only by such regular receiving and giving will acquaintance turns into a true friendship.