Sharing is caring!

As children, we make friends. Sometimes we make a lot of friends and sometimes we might only make a handful of friends. But it’s not until we’re older that we see and understand the value of friendship. It’s not until we’re adults that we learn to value what being a friend means and how valuable having a true friend is. Of course, it’s still entirely possible to make long lasting friendships as adults and here are 10 ways to build a support network. After all, friends are the family we choose for ourselves.

When you're an introvert, you may not always seem interested in socializing or making friends. I know. I've been there. But here are a few tips for how to build a support network as an introvert.

How to Build a Support Network as an Introvert

* Be a Friend to Have a Friend – Building supportive relationships takes a lot of time and effort. If you expect people to be supportive of you when you need it then it’s very important for you to do the same for them. The “Golden Rule” is a very good rule to follow when it comes to friendships and supportive relationships.

* Be Who You Are from Day One – Differences are the spice of life, so never try to be someone you’re not just to have certain friends or to attract a certain person into your life. The fact is, people rarely change, and you can’t keep it up. The more you trust others to be themselves, the more they’ll trust you to do the same.

* Respect Others for Who They Are – By contrast, it’s imperative to be very accepting of other people’s differences too. It doesn’t mean you have accept illegal behavior, but you should be willing to accept some minor moral differences or things that are superficial differences, like skin color or whether or not they choose to get a tattoo.

* Avoid Taking Responsibility for Others – There is a fine line between support and enabling behavior. When a friend has to suffer the consequences of their erroneous actions, you do not have to take any type of responsibility for your actions to be supportive. You can be supportive even when visiting someone in jail.

* Believe in Your Friends to Be Better – Sometimes part of being a supportive person and a good friend is to want more for them than they do. If, for example, one of your friends is in an abusive relationship, don’t stand by and support that idea. Do demand that they get help and get out of that situation.

* Learn How to Listen Effectively – We were given two ears and one mouth for a reason. We should all seek to listen twice as much as we talk. But, there is a difference between just sitting there silently as opposed to truly listening. Try repeating back to people what you think they said in your own words until you get it right.

* True Friendships are 100/100 – No one is keeping score in a real friendship that offers support, so that is why they are 100/100 instead of 50/50. If you’re focused on providing 100 percent of yourself, you will not be focused on resentments and misunderstandings.

* Spend Real Time with Your Friends – When you foster a friendship and a real relationship with someone, spend real time with them that counts. Most people don’t need that much time. Sometimes it’s just ten minutes on the phone, other times it’s meeting for coffee. Another time it might be bringing the double chocolate chip ice-cream and the movie Terms of Endearment with a box of tissues.

* Learn to Accept Criticism (and Give It) – True supportive relationships aren’t always completely positive. Sometimes friends need someone to be willing to call them on their BS. Truly supportive people can do that for each other and allow it to be done for them.

* Ask for What You Need – Some relationships can seem one-sided at times, which is why it’s important to learn how to draw boundaries and ask for what you need. If you ask people for what you need and they don’t, can’t or won’t provide it, it might be time to move on.

Developing real support systems requires a lot of work, but it will pay off when you truly need the support.

By setting the standard of what you expect in a relationship, you will be a good example to your friends and family of the type of support network that you need. And don’t forget- yes, you can and should evaluate the friendships in your life. If a friendship isn’t working out for you? It’s time to rethink why and if this friendship is really beneficial for your life.

From an autistic autism mom to you

The Autism Family Guide is your shortcut to autism parenting.

How do I know?

Because friend, the resources in this guide are lifechanging.

Create routines with ease, calming strategies at your fingertips, and more.

The following two tabs change content below.

Kori

Digital Product Creator at Kori at Home
Kori is a late diagnosed autistic/ADHD mom. She is currently located in Albany, NY where she is raising a neurodiverse family. Her older daughter is non-speaking autistic (and also has ADHD and Anxiety) and her youngest daughter is HSP/Gifted. A blogger, podcaster, writer, product creator, and coach; Kori shares autism family life- the highs, lows, messy, and real. Kori brings her own life experiences as an autistic woman combined with her adventures in momming to bring you the day-to-day of her life at home. Kori is on a mission to empower moms of autistic children to make informed parenting decisions with confidence and conviction.

Latest posts by Kori (see all)

Similar Posts

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments