Let’s talk about it: Friendship
Deep within every human being is the desire to be loved, valued, and respected. Our experience of human existence reveals friendship has become a means to attaining the love and value we crave. Friendships are powerful because they aid in mental and physical health; Good friendship is essential for well-being. Recent research revealed humans were designed to exist in groups. From early human history, chances of survival have always increased with increased social bonds and human interaction. Humanity was not destined to exist in isolation.
The Ills of Loneliness
Research revealed fifty percent of all Americans feel lonely. The same is resonated in the United Kingdom, where recent research revealed over nine million people reported feelings of loneliness. Loneliness can lead to an increase in stress hormones and ultimately result in a breakdown of the immune system. Loneliness negatively affects our mental health and eventually our physical health.
The feeling of being isolated alone disrupts the mental world of a person, resulting in increased mental health-related problems such as stroke, anxiety disorder, depression, and heart disease. There is a tendency for human beings to feel unsafe when they get lonely. Feelings of loneliness are the leading cause of insecurity amongst young people.
Powerful Friendships Makes the Difference
Just in case you are wondering about what constitutes the magic in friendship, here are some of the ways powerful friendships can aid in making a huge difference in one’s life:
• Actions which involve sharing thoughts, feelings, emotions, and memorable activities boost positive feelings.
• Sharing thoughts and opinions help us discover certain truths about our personality and peculiarities.
• Similarly, sharing things in common such as a shirt, our bed, our snacks, etc. helps us cultivate a more humane and open heart.
• Furthermore, studies have shown elderly people with a strong community of friends are more likely to live longer compared to people without a strong social life. Indeed, merely knowing you don’t have to carry all the issues of your life alone, and there is a friend willing to share your burden with you, makes life’s challenges appear surmountable.
How do you/will you show up as a great friend?
Making Friendships Matter
Throughout different stages of our lifetime, we are bound to come across different types of people. These groups of people can be divided into strangers, acquaintances, family, and friends. The strangers take the biggest share of the people we meet. Acquaintances and family follow them. A select few become our friends. Therefore, when it comes to friendship, quality not quantity is the watchword. So, what makes the select few stand out? What kind of power does friendship bring? Here are a few secrets. Quality friendship results in
• An attitude of positivity
• Wellness lifestyle
• Increased self-worth
• Sound perspective
• Companionship
• Profitable connections
• Access to productive information
On a final note, to enjoy the goodness of the power of friendship, we must make deliberate efforts to be good friends ourselves. Try calling your friends and letting them know how much you value them. Send a gift and spend sometime. True friends are hard to come by.
