The term friendship is tossed around regularly. As children, we are encouraged to go and play and strike new friendships at every opportunity. As adults, we hold them dearly and value them as much, if not sometimes more than family.
Nurturing your friendships is now viewed as just as important as taking care of yourself. Some would even argue at spending time with your friends is a form of self-care.
Friends can come in a variety of different sorts. You can physical friends, those that you meet up with and physically socialize with. But in today’s digital world there are also those friends that you have met on a community platform, those that you engage with regularly through comments, emails and texts. All of these friendships are important and can improve your life tenfold.
Here is why.
Your Social Skills Improve
Friends communicate with one and another regularly. Just by being part of this, you will automatically find that your own personal social skills will improve. Without even consciously realising you are investing in your own personal development. You are practising your listening skills, engaging in a wide cross-section of conversational topics, changing and adapting your body language and other nonverbal communication skills. Depending on the conversations you may also find your ability to persuade, cooperate and even find your voice in the written word when you are interacting with your friends.
Relieves Stress
Knowing that you have someone in your corner to support you, lifts a massive weight off your shoulders. When you receive some bad news, being able to turn to your friends and talk about it will instantly help and start to make you feel better.
They Provide Support Emotionally and Physically
Having friends in your corner guarantees that you have someone available who will be willing to offer emotional and physical support when needed. It isn’t that they are able to wave some magic wand and fix the problem but they are there to listen whilst you vent, offer advice if they can and provide continued support to help you overcome any issues. Just knowing that you have someone that accepts you and will continue to encourage you going forward is enough.
Boost Your Confidence
Is there really anything better than someone giving you a compliment? Or supporting you and cheering you on? Your friends are there to support you. They are your own personal cheerleading team. If you are lacking in courage they are there will on going support to continue pushing you and lifting you.
They Will Be Honest With You
Along with being able to push and cheer you on, real friends are there to tell you when you have tripped up or you are not putting in maximum effort. The joy of a real friend is that they can have these honest and real conversations with you and give constructive criticism with the security of knowing at the end of the day the friendship will remain strong and will continue to thrive.
This is a collaborative post
