Lessons to Learn from Your Male Friends

No, this isn't a "friends with benefits" post! For all you women: sometimes your male friends can teach you a lot about dating and interacting with the opposite sex. After all, girlfriends can be a wonderful thing when you're broken-hearted, but guys can give you more insight into how they think and feel and what might really be going on. It's time to start paying attention.

Some tips to consider:

What crisis? Although many things can annoy or upset us women, there's no need to panic or turn it into a bigger deal than it really is. Whether someone cuts in front of us on the freeway or we forget to pick up milk at the grocery store, we should learn to relax and not sweat the small stuff. What's the point in the grand scheme of things? Guys are more inclined to let the little things go and have a more relaxed attitude about everyday problems. Try curbing your worrying to the important things.

Let loose. We all like to feel productive, but women can take things to an extreme. We'll try to fit too many things on our schedules, since we are masters of multi-tasking. We say "yes" to favors asked of us and further obligate ourselves, instead of recognizing that we can't do it all. If you can't help out with a friend's event, be okay with telling her "no." Men tend to be more relaxed about saying no and making sure their schedules are comprised mainly of things they want to do and people they want to be with. Recognize your limits, and don't try to be everything to everyone.

It's all about perspective. When we get together with our female friends, they want to make us feel better about how we look, who we are dating, or any number of things. Of course, that means they're also subjective about everything we say, and don't necessarily challenge our opinions. They let us vent and commiserate with us. Our guy friends however, have no problem telling it like it is, even if that means telling us what we're doing wrong. They will let us know when we're being too clingy, too emotional, or even when we're being irrational. They offer us perspective, which can help us see more clearly how we are acting, and help us change for the better.