12 Things Only Your Best Friend Can Know about You

Having a true best friend can be priceless. Not only do they understand us perfectly, but they also do stand on our side when we need them the most. There are so many exciting and thrilling memories we share with our best friend that it’s impossible to imagine having lived a life without them. And even though one’s best friend might be traveling the world, this very special person has always been and will always be there to share the most important moments of life with us. Your best friend is the icing on the cake that makes life truly worth living. Without this very special person, life would seem rather dull and random. What makes this person so special, however, is not the fact that they enrich your life and bring excitement to it. It is the fact that your best friend will always be right at your side when you’re going through an incredibly painful time in life.

Things are never quite as scary when you have a best friend.
Bill Watterson

Your best friend will be there for you when you need them the most. All other “friends” will vanish mysteriously during these times. In fact, countless times in life we’ve met interesting people who were really exciting to hang around with. We got along with these people really well and enjoyed ourselves. We even considered these people to be really important friends and thought they were a part of our life.

That was until life was turned upside down, by something painful or tragic that happened. These are the moments when you realize on whom you can truly count during your darkest hour. None of your acquaintances will be there in these situations. But your best friends will be standing at your side, shining in the brightest light possible to help you get out of the darkness that surrounds you.

Here are the 10 things that only your true best friend can know and understand about you.

1. They can tell exactly when you’re lying

You can put on a mask for the rest of the world, but not for your best friend. Employers, co-workers, acquaintances and sometimes even your family can be tricked all too easily. But your best friend will know exactly when you’re bending the truth. It is as if they could easily see through all the deception you’re putting up to protect yourself from being hurt.

Your best friend will follow up on the true nature of your feelings when the rest of the world already accepted that you’re feeling “just fine.” Even more so, your best friend might also have a pretty good understanding of the very reason you have been lying in the first place. It goes without saying that they always seem to be able to help you, without letting that house of cards collapse.

2. They know exactly how to lighten up your mood

Sometimes it feels as if a truly grim situation starts to brighten up magically once you’ve told your best friend about it. They will almost always be able to show you a much better perspective of things. Even more importantly, your best friend seems to be extraordinarily gifted at showing you how you can overcome whatever that is bothering you. And all of a sudden, things do no longer appear as miserable as they seemed in the first place.

But whenever words are not enough, they will lighten up your mood simply by being there for you. In fact, just being around someone who truly knows you inside and out gets you into a much better mood within an instant. No words necessary.

3. Only they know the true struggle you’re dealing with

Life can be a really tough struggle at times. And even though you’re capable of putting up a brave front, your best friend knows how much of a burden lies upon your shoulders. Sometimes it might even feel as if your best friend is the only person who truly knows how difficult your life can be. While others are only capable of superficially assessing the difficulty of what you’re going through, your best friend will never ridicule you for your challenges and problems in life. They will understand why you’re not always in the best mood, as they know exactly what you’re going through day after day.

Your best friend knows that life has defeated you countless times, but they’ve experienced firsthand how you’ve always managed to get back up.

4. They know your most intimate secrets

Even though we all spend half our lifetime with coworkers, fellow students, classmates, mentors and many other acquaintances, we do not allow these people to get to know our secrets. In most cases, we do this because we know exactly that our precious secrets are not really safe with any of these people. We do like them, we do hold them in the highest esteem, but we would never entrust them with a secret that is too personal. Maybe it’s because we understand that they would immediately hand out all our secrets if there’s something to be gained from it.

Quite the contrary is the case when it comes to your best friend. We know that their lips are sealed tightly. We also know that they would never ever use one of our secrets against us. That’s why we entrust them with our secrets. Your best friend will treat your secrets as if they were their own.

5. They know how strange your family can be

Even though you love each member of your family, they seem to have a knack of being able to embarrass you in front of your friends. What is worse, you might be able to shield the really strange aspects of your family members from most of your friends, but not your best friend. Most likely, your best friend has already met that aunt of yours that cannot help but give out poisoned complements with everything she says, even to entire strangers. Or that lovely cousin of yours who is keen on convincing the world with scientific evidence that Dracula still exists. But even though your best friend knows a great deal about your family, they seem to like your family for who they truly are.

6. They know the one person you never really get over

You might have moved on from a past relationship, but there will always remain that one fateful person in the back of your head that you simply cannot get over. Months or even years might have passed, you might not even think about this person and live in a happy relationship, but the moment you see this person everything bursts to the surface. Will you ever get over that one person? Probably not. But it’s good to know that you secret is in the safe hands of your best friend.

7. They know how to talk you into something (or out of it)

The problem with someone who truly knows you in and out is that they are just too capable of easily talking you into something. Looking back at all that you’ve done with your best friend, you’ll realize that none of your other friends would have been able to convince you to do these things. Your best friend might have helped you to overcome your boundaries, to confront your fears but they also might have talked you out of doing something really stupid.

8. They know every single stupid thing you’ve ever done

Not only does your best friend know all the details of the most stupid things you’ve ever done, but 95% of the time they were standing right beside you. Not as a witness, but as a participant. Your stupid mistakes are equally their own stupid mistakes. And even though it might have been pretty embarrassing, you simply cannot stop laughing about it in the present.

9. They know that they need to be honest with you

Hearing the truth is never easy, especially when it comes from one of your closest friends. You simply don’t want to hear what they have to say, even though you realize deep within yourself that they’re quite right. What separates your best friend from all the others is that they will continue confronting you with the painful truth, until you stop deceiving yourself.

Other friends might shy away from being brutally honest with you, out of fear or simply because they do not feel responsible for it. But hearing the uncomfortable truth from your best friend makes it a little bit easier to get over with.

10. Your best friend knows to appreciate your successes

Succeeding at something can be truly wonderful, especially when you’re surrounded by people who truly appreciate what you’ve managed to accomplish. It simply feels great when you’re able to share your successes with family and friends who are happy for you. At the same time, however, noticing that someone whom you considered as a friend is feeling hateful envy at your accomplishments is not such a great experience. These are the kind of “friends” who would rather keep you down so that they can shine much brighter than you.

Your best friend – always at your side

Luckily, your best friend does not have to play these ego driven games. In fact, they do not only act as if they are celebrating with you, but they truly are happy for every milestone you accomplish in life. Not for selfish purposes, but simply because they cannot think of anything better for you than seeing you succeed at whatever you’re doing.

11. They know how you’ve looked like at your absolute worst

We try as hard as we can not show others our true face when life just pushed us to the ground. But as your best friend will be standing at your side to help you see things through, they will know exactly how you look like at your absolute worst. But they have been there for you and will continue to be there for you, even if you need them in the middle of the night. In fact, your best friend will come running for you even if it’s 4 am.

12. They know how much you love them, you don’t have to tell

Your best friend knows how many wonderful moments you spend with each other, having shared so many incredible memories that it goes without saying that they truly know how important they are for you. Sometimes you might not be able to tell them how unconditionally you love them, but there might not even be a need for it. Your best friend already knows. There is this deep connection between the two of you that you both know that you will continue to paint the town red and share the most incredible experiences in the future. No matter what happens.

So what is it that makes YOUR best friend so special? And what are the things that only your best friend knows about you?

Photo credit: Lauren Rushing