Remember those times where you would meet someone for the first time? Sometimes, you’ll only know them during that moment, but most times, you’ll meet them again. When you meet this person again, there’s a chance you’ll interact with them more and know more about them. Sooner or later, you’ll have made a friend that can contribute more life to your days. In other words, a friendship is created, and more can be made as the days pass by.
All of the healthy friendships made in your life are the friendships that made it better. From being a group member for a group project to being a supportive person for your personal goals, friendships are a precious thing to cherish. Although some friendships can come and go, the memories made are not meant to do the same. Thanks to our eventful lives, friendships can form and give us many benefits that we may take for granted. The following are some of the benefits to having friendships:
1. Makes life more enjoyable and exciting
First of all, friendships can make life more enjoyable and exciting. As you do things together and make more memories, there are always those times where you share each other’s humour and make usually boring events more fun. Although those moments can sometimes slow you guys down, those moments add color to your life. Going around certain and/or random places, sharing each other’s stories, teasing each other for absolutely no reason at all, are all moments that can allow you to cherish life much more. At the very least, your friendships are one of the first things to look forward to everyday.
2. Can provide emotional support and help you gain confidence
When times get tough, hopefully you’ll have friends that are there for you. As a harsh reality, your true friends are the ones that support you in your hardest times. From things like heartbreak, trauma, and disappointment, your friendships can help you get through them. In short, your friends can provide you emotional support when you would need it. While, as mentioned earlier, they can tease you for no reason, friendships can have a balance between not being serious and actually being serious.
Along with the benefit of providing emotional support, your friendships can help you gain confidence. Not only can they support you in your toughest times, but they can be there to support and motivate you whenever (they believe is) possible. On top of that, some of them can be ready to face the uncertainty with you. For example, when both of you are nowhere near ready for a test, there are times where you can hype each other up and make each other confident that you will pass. On the surface level, almost every friendships contains these kinds of support. These are the friendships where your friends believe in you with what you do!
3. Gives you a sense of belonging
Throughout every friendship, there is always a sense of connection that exists between the people. There is always that sort of common ground that allows that connection. With a friendship where this exists, it can give you a sense of belonging as you are aware that there is someone that acknowledges and somewhat welcomes you. Within a community, these friendships are basically the first thing to look out for. Without having a common ground, it can be difficult to achieve a sense of belonging. However, with friendships, this is possible and enhanced by all of the other benefits of having that friendship.
4. Helps with your mental health
With a friend that is there for you, especially as emotional support, the value of your friendship can also help with your mental health. Looking back at the previous benefits stated, friendships can make life well worth it. Starting with those little, random moments, life can become more exciting and ensure that there is always something to look forward to everyday; whether it is to hang out with a friend or to tease that friend as a way of living. By being something to look forward to, not to mention the fact that they can be there with you in your toughest times, friendships can overall help you avoid isolation and achieve happiness. They can allow you to be yourself and spend quality time together. Both of which helps with mental health.
5. Helps you develop as a person
Have you ever had a habit that completely does not align from you, but all of a sudden, it came from a friend? Perhaps certain words/sounds, certain ways of thinking, or certain looks? As a reminder, we are all unique people with our own special ways of life. With friendships, you are exposed to different people, which can allow you to explore, experience and try certain things to make a change for yourself. Hopefully, there are parts to your friends that you can find inspiring and/or motivational. These traits can allow you to grow and develop a better character our of yourself! While this is a straightforward benefit, this is the most critical one of the five mentioned. Friendships essentially shape who we are as a person. They are part of our identity and have a profound effect on our lives. As friendships progress, so do the friends themselves.
Obviously, there are more than just five benefits to describe the value of friendships. While the value of certain friendships differ, note that every friendship offers something special to your life! Although certain friendships may make you think otherwise, every friendship allows you to grow in their own unique way, similar to how all of us are unique from each other.
Hopefully, this post encourages you to show appreciation for your friendships as they really do matter. Friendships are one of the biggest things that can add color to your life. They can make life incredibly exciting and worth it as they remind you that you are not alone. In short, friendships are like a reminder that you are not alone in this world and have friends that support you. Even then, you can make friendships in many different scenarios, including community events, volunteering, doing something on a regular basis (like walking your dog and seeing the same person on the same time every day), etc… . If there was one thing you can remember from this post, hopefully it is the idea that friendships are a valuable part of life that makes you cherish it in ways that you wouldn’t be able to alone.
Images: 1 (Featured Image), 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10