Surround yourself with those who LIFT YOU UP!

Here are a few tips found at WebMD about how friends help and how to make new ones, too.

Friends

• Increase your sense of belonging and purpose
• Boost your happiness and reduce stress
• Improve your self-confidence and self-worth
• Help you cope with traumas, such as divorce, serious illness, job loss, or the death of a loved one
• Encourage you to change or avoid unhealthy habits, like excessive drinking or lack of exercise
• Help put your problems in context to develop a stronger sense of meaning and direction
• Increase feelings of security and help protect against stress
• Ease the emotional impact of difficulties and offer new ideas about tackling them

Tips for Making New Friends

When you’re looking for a friend, try to find someone that you can trust. Some things a good friend will do include:

• Show a genuine interest in your life, what you have to say, and how you think and feel
• Accept you exactly as you are
• Listen to you without judgment
• Not trying to tell you how to think and feel or changing the subject
• Share things about themselves, so you have an open exchange of vulnerability

Two-way street. A friendship is a two-way street. Both individuals must feel comfortable supporting and accepting each other. This creates and shares a bond of trust and loyalty.

Try putting yourself out there and reaching out to different people to see what resonates. Here are a few ways to do so.

Attend community events. Look for groups or clubs that are set up to explore an interest or hobby you have.

Volunteer. Volunteering can be a great way to do something meaningful in your community and spark potential friendships too.

Try new things. Take a fitness, college, or community education course to meet people who have similar interests.

Join a faith community. This can be a great way to get involved with social events, playing music, or aiding a cause that you believe in with people you like.

Keep in mind that although friendship can be a powerful way to support you through all the ups and downs of your life, it’s not a substitute for mental health treatment.

Above all, stay positive. You may not become friends with everyone you meet, and that’s okay! Maintaining a friendly attitude and demeanor can improve your life relationships. It also increases your chances of attracting more like-minded people into your life.

Read the full article at the following link: https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/psychological-benefits-of-friendship