There’s a saying that goes that while you can’t choose family, you can definitely choose friends. This is true, but sometimes living somewhere new or changing environmental situations can limit the number of potential friends available.
Still though, from the number of short-lived conservations and awkward glances with strangers that we meet during our short lives, there’s an opportunity to building and nurturing particular strangers that eventually become our friends. It’s the element of being able to choose who gets to see past the mask of vulnerability that makes it so rewarding.
Unlike family who come laden with a blood bond and all kinds of weird and wonderful complexes about our existence, friendships are entirely of our own making. By finding and never taking for granted a friend that is willing to stick around longer than five minutes, it’s a given that the mutual feeling of having a bond that is an achievement far greater than that of any materialistic success. (As they say, the best things in life are free.)
That’s why, in any given situation where you start to fall into a slump, when it starts to feel like things are getting a bit heavy, hard, long, or slow, remember that your friend(s) are there for you. This is a disclaimer that while your loyal friend(s) can’t solve your mental health problems, or pull you completely out of the slump, they are part of the road to recovery – as long as you let them in.
The closest of friends are the connection between the gap of addressing any emotional strains taking a toll on your life, or avoiding it completely. For that reason, thinking about the way one wants to be treated in order to receive the same amount of respect and acknowledge, is a huge step in self-improvement and self-discovery.
Never underestimate the power of friendship – from having a heart-to-heart talk to mindless chatter, opening up to the right friends will ensure happiness and good health. Asking for help, whether emotional or just to have a shoulder to lean on during the tough times is something that is both practical and rewarding. In a good friendship, communication is a must. Talk when you have to, but don’t become too dependent whenever your emotions take a big blow. Return the favour when you sense (and usually, if you’re very good friends, you’ll know just by the crinkle of your friend’s nose) that they might need your shoulder to lean on.
In a world that is paced too fast too quickly, it’s normal to burn out and say you’re doing okay. It’s fine to be independent, but every now and then we all need a bit of help, and that’s where friends come in.
Never take them for granted.