It's that time of the year again when we start reflecting on our lives and thinking about whether or not we used our time, our talents, and our resources wisely.

But when you do this reflection, please talk to yourself like someone you love.

Don't judge yourself so harshly. Give yourself the grace and love you would extend to others because it's important to be a good friend to yourself as well.

Then after you do that, try something new this year and take the time to reflect on your friendships.

It's so easy to get overwhelmed thinking about our romantic relationships, our careers, our fitness goals, and everything else, that we forget about our friendships.

We often don’t inspect them like we do the other areas in our lives because we assume that if there is nothing strikingly wrong, then those relationships are fine.

Or that if none of our friends have complained, then we must be great friends.

But that’s not necessarily true, and spending a little time assessing those relationships can prove to be more eye-opening than you may have thought.

This blog post provides 25 thought-provoking questions to help you do the following:

Analyze the way you showed up as a friend this year
Assess the healthiness of the friendships you have
Discern which friendships may need to be nurtured, and which ones may need to be released

Let’s go into the new year prioritizing our friendships and giving them our best!

25 Honest Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Friendships

FWI Note: To avoid putting “this year” at the end of every question, consider each question within a year’s timeframe. Or if you really want to show out, you could do this assessment quarterly!

As of today, who do I consider a friend?
How would my besties describe me as a friend? (Feel free to ask them too!)
Have I been a supportive friend?
have I missed any important milestones (like birthdays or weddings) for any of my friends? If I have, why? Could I have made a way somehow?
Did I spend quality time with my friends?
Did I initiate outings or virtual hangouts with my friends?
Did I accept invitations to outings or virtual hangouts? And did I show up?
List all of the times you remember canceling on a friend. Did you make it up to them or reschedule?
Did I learn new things about my friends that I did not know before?
Did I experience a friendship breakup this year? If so, what happened? What did I learn from that loss?
Did any friends betray me this year? If so, how did it make me feel and have I healed from it? Have I forgiven them? Have we reconciled?
Are there any friendships I’ve outgrown? What has made me outgrow it?
Did I make any new friends this year? What drew me to those people? What do I appreciate about their connection?
Are there any acquaintances I would like to explore a friendship with?
Are there any friends I could show up for more? What do I think they need from me?
Are there any friends I owe an apology?
Am I holding any secret negative feelings toward a friend that I need to release before the new year?
What friends do I think highly of? Have I told them what I love about them lately? Have I shown my appreciation for their friendship?
What friend can I call when I need to vent? (Who is a great listener)
What friend can I call when I want to laugh and have fun?
What friend can I call when I want to discuss goals and lean on as an accountability partner?
What friend can I call when I need sound advice?
What friend can I call who will pray over me and with me?
Would I have wanted to be my friend this year?
What can I do to be a better friend in this new season?

Relevant Blog Post: FRIENDSHIP GOALS

Our friendships have a significant impact on our lives.

Losing a friendship can feel like a death, while having healthy friendships can make you feel on top of the world.

That’s why it’s important to invest the time to reflect on those relationships and make sure we have the friends that we need, and that we are being the friends our friends deserve!

What have you learned about yourself as a friend in this last year? In what ways would you like to improve? Feel Free to share in the comments!