Friendships make a positive impact on your life. Not every friendship is a healthy friendship, of course. Nevertheless, establishing and keeping friendships can help you lead a richer, healthier life.
How Do Friends Impact My Health?
People are social creatures by nature. Finding love, support, and acceptance is integral to your mental and physical well-being. Your people are what protect you from harm. How? Healthy friendships sustain you through rough times and celebrate your happiness. This can increase your resilience and keep you motivated.
When good friends are around, they avert loneliness and isolation. Their presence in your life can decrease feelings of depression or anxiety. They can also:
- Give you a sense of community: When you’re a part of a community, you have shared beliefs and goals. For instance, if you have a sober social group, you’re involved with those working on their recovery.
- Increase your self-worth: Friendships can bring you joy and reduce your stress. The love and support of your friends boost your sense of belonging. People who feel accepted for who they are feel better about themselves. You can also feel comfortable pushing past your comfort zone by trying new things.
- Support decisions to improve yourself: Good friends believe in you and will do what they can to support you in your decision to change or avoid unhealthy habits. In some cases, their support can give you the strength to seek mental health or substance addiction counseling.
Friendships are crucial to your overall health. Those with healthy social communities can decrease their risk of mental health disorders, high blood pressure, or an unhealthy body mass index. Having good friends may even help you live a longer, happier life.
Why Is It Harder to Make Friends as an Adult?
As you take on life’s challenges after you finish school, priorities can shift. Priorities and core values change as you grow and mature. Work, marriage, and children take up time, which can make keeping up with your friends a lower priority. Or, as you follow your path, your interests or beliefs change from those you previously held. Moving away is another obstacle to maintaining friendships.
How Do I Meet or Keep Friends?
Making or keeping friends takes effort. You must reach out to your friends or create new connections. A few other ideas are:
- Stay in touch with people who share a common interest.
- Rekindle past friendships. You never know what can happen when you reach out to old friends. Of course, you can also reach out to family.
- Get involved. Find a community organization you connect with and join.
Making or maintaining friendships is a challenge. But don’t let those difficulties get in your way. Instead, find ways to include people in your life by taking the initiative to be a good friend.
Friendships make our lives richer. The support, comfort, and adventure that friendships bring you can make you feel connected to something bigger than yourself. Knowing you have people who care can decrease feelings of loneliness, depression, or isolation. The Guest House supports you in deciding to make or maintain healthy relationships. Our programs include holistic therapies that provide inner peace and guidance. We believe healing your body and mind are the keys to solid relationships. Your stay includes access to our 52-acre estate, premium amenities, and highly trained staff. We’re here for you. Call (855) 483-7800.