FRIENDSHIP

It is crucial to focus on how the friendships you keep makes you feel rather than what others think. For you to call someone your friend you need to feel comfortable around them without the need to watch what you say. It is worth adding that not every friendship is trustworthy or worth your love and time, so you need to learn to know when to let go.

These days friends are made via social media, usually through shared interests, but most still make friends the traditional way from education, work, mutual friends, neighbours, clubs, places of worship etc. It is believed that when you click with someone, you click no matter the circumstances.  These friendships can then develop to mould you into the person you become in life, hence why its important to surround yourself with positive people.

Benefits of friendship

• Help to reach Goals- your friend will hold you accountable for your set goals e.g., to lose weight, quit smoking, stop drinking, academic goals, business, or career goals or to stop bad habits all together. Whatever the goal; encouragements from friends can make a difference.

•  Support through difficult Times- bad breakup, loss of family or friend, bad day at work or even help through an illness or other family problems

• Improve Your Mood- spending time with happy and positive friends can elevate your mood. This could be in the form of phone calls, to spending quality time together

• A good friend encourages you to be the better version of yourself. They want to see you win because your win is a win for them

• Having friends, you can have an active social life with can help reduce isolation

How do you know what to look for in a friend?

A friend is someone you can trust, depend on, and confide in. It is someone you have communication with without the need to justify yourself.

• A good friend will understand and take you for who you are

• A good friend will show genuine interest in what is going on in your life without intrusion

• A good friend will not be judgemental

• A good friend is someone you share your joy freely with without the need to feel quiet with your good news when you are around them 

• A good friend is a confidant- Someone you can confide in with intimate secrets; and also feels comfortable sharing things about themselves with you. 

There are different types of friends and it is important to know the ones you have in your life. Many have friends, as in lots of friends; but are the friends you keep performing the roles you would like them to perform in your life? Or do you keep friends to add to the numbers? A saying goes, “you are who you attract” but how true is that in terms of friendship?

To BE CONTINUED!!!