It is a known fact that isolation and loneliness can have a rather severe impact on a person’s mental health, triggering anxiety, depression, and other such complications later in life. Worse still, such complications can also eventually have a negative effect on physical health and longevity. That’s why it’s extremely important to have healthy friendships. They also offer much-needed companionship and prevent loneliness, and more importantly, they offer us, someone, to turn to in times of need.
Moreover, good friends can have a huge impact on our mental well-being and our ability to survive major challenges. Studies have shown that strong friendships can increase your sense of belonging and purpose, boost happiness, reduce stress, and improve self-confidence and self-worth. They can also help you better cope with any traumas your may suffer and even encourage you to change or avoid unhealthy lifestyle habits.
Studies have also found that strong social connections have a direct correlation to living longer healthier lives than those with fewer such connections. However, there is one thing that is extremely important…
Quality over Quantity
Studies have also found that the quality of our friendships has a greater positive impact on our lives than the number of people in our social click. While having a diverse network of friends is never a bad thing, it is vital to nurture a few truly close friendships who you are sure will be with you through thick and thin. In addition, chasing popularity amongst larger groups of people is not necessarily a positive thing. Studies have shown that teens who seek popularity among their peers during their high school years may be more prone to social anxiety later in life.
Maintaining Friendships
How many of us have lost friends as we have grown older? This is because developing and maintaining good friendships takes time and effort. As we grow older, our friendships take a back seat to other priorities, such as work and familial responsibilities. Changes in lives and interests or even distance can also have a negative impact on existing friendships.
But no matter what, friendships should not be ignored. It is vital for your mental health and wellbeing to keep such friendships alive, rekindle old ones, or form new ones. In order to do so, there is one key rule to keep in mind – as with any relationship developing and maintaining healthy friendships involves give-and-take. Sometimes it is you that will be providing the support, while other times it will be you receiving it. No matter the scenario, remember to always show that you value your relationship and appreciate everything they do for you.
Always be kind and listen. Be empathetic of their difficulties but know your boundaries and only offer advice when asked or you feel it is vitally important. At the same time, do not be afraid to open to close friends. Willingness to disclose personal experiences only serves to further strengthen your bond. But more important than anything else is trust. Being responsible, reliable, and dependable is key and never betray the trust of your friends. Once broken, regaining someone’s trust is one of the hardest things to achieve and in some cases impossible. At the same time, mutual trust is one of the most valuable assets you could possibly have in any close friendship; treasure it.