Friends are considered to be the most significant part of our life. However, it’s true that not all friends are good.
A good friendship requires open communication, to be honest, and truthful. They usually don’t hesitate to tell the truth, even if they believe you won’t like it. Nonetheless, they embrace you for who you are, just as you accept them. You can rely on them to respect your boundaries, even if you disagree with one another.
Healthy friendships also include mutual support, thus a good friend does not simply expect you to assist them. They also offer their assistance whenever they get the chance, even if it is only by listening to what you have to say.
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What is Friendship?
A friend is someone who knows you as you are, understands you, accepts you, and allows you to grow.
Friendship is the bond that you share with someone whom you trust and have faith in. They are your chosen family.
The cherry on top? A strong friendship is also beneficial to your health. Here are the 5 reasons friendship is good for health.
Less Loneliness and Self-Isolation
Loneliness and social isolation have an impact on both your emotional and physical health. Many people nowadays suffer from feelings of loneliness.
Friendship can help you avoid isolation, and good friends can help you avoid loneliness. When you are with your friends, you laugh, cry, have fun, and do many other things as well.
Staying with people who love you and care for you is one of the best things you can do to keep yourself happy.
Having a friend means having a backbone that supports you throughout. And you know that if you feel lonely, you can deal with it by reaching out for a conversation, a joke, or spending some time with a buddy.
Distance and other obstacles may prevent you from physically hanging out together, but merely knowing you have a deep connection with someone can help you feel less alone.
Reduce Stress
Everyone experiences some level of stress. It comes in huge or tiny quantities, but no matter how insignificant it appears at first, it can quickly accumulate and overwhelm you.
You may experience mood symptoms like anxiety, despair, or irritability, but stress can also influence you in unexpected ways. Prolonged stress can lead to poor immune system insomnia, digestive issues, heart issues, Diabetes and hypertension.
Remember the last time you were unhappy or worried about something. Perhaps you expressed your problems to a friend, who listened to your vent and assisted you in brainstorming the solution for your problem.
If you know you have friends who care and want to help, then you don’t feel stressed for so long, as you know that as soon as you are going to talk to them you will get relieved and all your stress would be gone.
Emotional Support
Friendships provide crucial emotional support. Your friends could help you by listening to your concerns, validating your sentiments, and doing nice things for you, purely for the purpose of distracting you when you are unhappy or angry. True friends are really a blessing in disguise.
Life isn’t always easy. Sometimes, it can get downright awful.
At any given time, without warning, you might face traumatic or difficult situations that affect your emotional well-being. Such as breakup or divorce, pandemics, unemployment, family problems etc.
However, if you have strong friendships or even one or two true friends, you will most likely find it simpler to deal with anything life throws at you.
When you are unable to share your issues with a family member or even your partner, friends can be of enormous help. They offer you the emotional support and attention you require while at the same time guiding you through it.
Personal Development
If you want to make a positive change in your life or break a bad habit, friends can help you stay motivated to maintain healthy practices. This could be one of the reasons why strong relationships can help you live longer.
Friends can help you change for the better by setting a positive example. Perhaps your best friend’s recent choice to stop smoking would inspire you to do the same.
Your buddies may also support your decisions by making adjustments alongside you. If you want to join a gym or a new hobby class, having an exercise buddy can help you stick with it until it becomes a part of your routine.
They’ll probably cheer you, regardless of anything else they do. This reinforcement can enhance your self-esteem, enhancing your chances of achieving all that you desire.
Sense of belonging
Developing and maintaining close friendships helps to foster feelings of belongingness. Knowing that you have support can make you feel more comfortable and secure in your own life.
Even if your closest friends are spread across multiple cities, states, or even countries, you still have those connections to reliable friends who have your back.
