Making Time For Your Friends And Your Significant Other

We all have been guilty of finding a new boyfriend or girlfriend and start spending all of our waking time with them. We tend to neglect our true friends and over time, there will start to be resentments on both sides. Sometimes new partners command all of our time because we like being around them and when the relationship is new all you want to do is be with that person. There is hope, you can spend just amount of time with your new love and with your friends so everyone is happy. You may be expecting something along the lines of bringing your new love and hanging out with your friends. That is not the answer, in fact that could cause more problems than you may imagine.

You need to keep the relationships you have in tact, this can be done by simply managing your time. If you would normally spend every Saturday afternoon with your friends either shopping, going to lunch or playing football or something then keep that afternoon free. Try to avoid the thinking of but we do this every week and they will understand if I miss a week to hang out with my new girl/boy friend. Your friends may understand the first time you do it but it becomes a habit of blowing off your friends more and more.

Don’t invite your girl/boy friend along on the days when you spend the day with your friends. First, they may not have a good time and second it may make others feel uncomfortable. If there is a party at a friends house and other girl/boy friends will be there then it would ok. If your other friends have girl/boy friends then suggest a group dinner out or at home. When you are introducing a new girl/boy friend to the group you have to understand that they may feel uncomfortable meeting new people so don’t throw them into the mix right away.

The next suggestion is, don’t cancel plans with one to go with the other. If your best friend Bob calls you and says he wants to go to a ballgame and he wants you to go and you make the arrangements but later your significant other calls with plans of a romantic night on the town, don’t cancel with your friends. I can hear it now, you could always get someone else to go or sell my ticket. Don’t do it! If you start canceling plans that are made to go do other plans, you are going to ruin a friendship.

You have to remember that your friends will always have your back no matter what. You may think that about your current girl/boy friend but what happens if you break up, will they still have your back then? Remember the people who have known you a long time and stay true to those friendships. Think about in the end if you had to make a choice who would you choose?