College is an opportunity to meet new people, some who you may even develop meaningful friendships with. While making new friends is important, you need to make sure you are maintaining those friendships to keep them healthy.

Friendship is a very important part of life. High quality social connections can help prevent anxiety and depression and can even extend your lifespan, according to the American Psychological Association.

Communication is key in any relationship. Disagreements about things big or small are inevitable in friendships. While having those tougher conversations can be daunting, they’re extremely important.

If your friend has done something to upset you, talking about it is the only way to work it out. They may not even realize their actions have had a negative impact on you. Bring up that tough subject and give your friend a chance to apologize or explain themselves.

While shoving your emotions down may seem like the easier option, it can create resentment. Even if you try to ignore it, that resentment can grow and become more detrimental to the friendship than the initial problem.

You should advocate for your own emotions, but don’t forget that your friends all have their own feelings, lives and battles. Grant your friends empathy and make sure to be there for them when they need you.

Compromise is essential.

Having one friend make all the decisions and always get their way can create strain on a relationship. Friendship should be uplifting and enjoyable for both parties.

Everyone should get their turn choosing the movie, restaurant or activity. Even if the plans aren’t exactly what you wanted, seeing your friends be happy during the hangout should be enough of a reward. What matters most is not what you are doing, but the laughs and heartfelt moments shared.

While you should try your best to work out any issues with friends, don’t fall victim to the sunk cost fallacy. Just because you have put a lot of effort into a friendship doesn’t necessarily mean that you are meant to be friends with that person.

While you can be the best friend you can to someone, that doesn’t mean they are going to return that effort. The sad truth is that some friendships are toxic and not everything can or should be worked out.

If you have a friendship where you are not being treated well, you might want to cling to happy memories and forget the bad ones. While you can still think fondly of those good memories, if a friend is not supporting you or has your best interests in mind, you should consider distancing yourself from that person.

While losing a friend, even a bad one, may be hard, quality is better than quantity when it comes to meaningful relationships. Let the negative people leave your life and hold the good ones even closer.