Not everyone can say that they have healthy friendships that motivate them to be their best. Those who do are lucky indeed. Yet, it’s a common misconception that having great friendships equates to a large social circle. Social circles don’t need to be large. The healthiest friendships can come from small, intimate social circles where people express genuine goodwill toward each other and have truthful conversations.
The Health Benefits of Healthy Friendships
Most of us begin making friends in our formative school years. However, there is no time stamp on making friends, because you never know who you might meet. Regardless, we begin to understand the concept of friends while we are among our peers in school.
Whoever you call your friend should have your best interests at heart, with similar intentions toward you as a parent (if your parents are relatively good parents). However, friends are different from your family, as they are peers who can relate to the struggles and triumphs you experience. Those valuable relationships can help you feel a sense of belonging.
High-quality friendships can help you live a longer and healthier life. That is why it is important to have physically and emotionally supportive people in your circle. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), having healthy friendships protects you from chronic disease and serious illnesses such as these:
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Dementia
- Depression and anxiety
The Emotional Benefits of Healthy Friendships
When you have low-quality friendships, you are vulnerable to peer pressure due to low self-esteem. It is normal to seek connections with the wrong kinds of people, but this tendency can become detrimental over the years.
Research published in Cureus shows that having more social connections is linked to improved academic performance during the school years. Psychologically, healthy friendships can boost your self-esteem and help you cope with stress.
In addition, healthy friendships provide a sense of mutual respect and trust. Some things may be easier to confess to a friend versus a parent. Parents are often obligated to love us and say they will not judge us no matter what. With a friend, especially one you might make during inpatient treatment, you’ll have a confidant who communicates in a positive way and makes you feel good about yourself.
The Keys To Creating Lifelong Friends
While anybody can be your friend, you may start to notice that certain people have stuck beside you through thick and thin. Is there a formula for spotting a lifelong friend? The key to identifying your forever ride-or-die friends is that they have the following characteristics:
- Shared interests
- Mutual respect
- Open communication
- Supportive and understanding attitude
- Healthy boundaries
These lifelong friends tend to support you in your challenges while also encouraging you. They celebrate your victories and let you shine in your big moments. When the winds in life change, you can guarantee you have a friendship that withstands those changes.
Other Types of Healthy Friendships
As the CDC explains in the article mentioned above, “Social connectedness reflects the continuum of meeting social connection needs. It is the degree to which you have the number, quality, and variety of relationships that you want.”
The types of friendships that tend to be healthy and beneficial for an individual include the following:
- Work friends
- Convenience friends
- Gym buddies
- Hobby-based friends
- Community friends
- Online friends
Unfortunately, extensive substance abuse can cloud your judgment and isolate you from those who actually care about you. When you are at your lowest, an opportunity may present itself for open and mature communication between you and your friend.
Where You Can Learn About Healthy Social Connections
The team members at Renaissance Ranch believe that sobriety is a lifelong journey and will support you long after you have been treated. Having a team that is constantly cheering you on is similar to the energy you should receive from friendships. Renaissance Ranch also offers sober living housing where you can stay with others who have the same goals as you.
In this home, people hang out together, express support, and form bonds on a daily basis. This increases the odds of long-term sobriety in early recovery. Sober living housing at Renaissance Ranch operates in a two-phase system where the benefits increase with your willingness to participate. Receiving outpatient care is usually part of that journey.
Although it’s not always easy, a true friend will speak to you about whatever issues might arise between you. If there is permanent fallout from one issue, that is not a real friend. However, that is not to say that the friend did not have their reasons. They could have felt it was best for their mental health to cut you off, depending on the circumstance. When friendships dissolve, though, there are always new, healthier relationships waiting for you just around the corner.
Healthy friendships are integral to a balanced and fulfilling life. To cultivate healthy relationships, do not take your current friendships for granted. This is especially important if those friends make you feel like your most authentic self. Ask yourself if the friendships in your life have a foundation of respect, trust, and understanding. If the people around you take too much from you, benefit from your downfall, or make you second-guess yourself, those are not a healthy friendship. Building a network of healthier friendships can eventually create a stronger and happier you. If you or someone else need guidance on creating and maintaining social connections and friendships, please call us at (801) 308-8898.