Making Friends and Keeping Them

No matter how smart or emotionally aware you are, sometimes you neglect your friends or lose site of how to treat them. You get sucked into advancing your career and spend all your time at work, or maybe you devote all your attention to a hot-and-heavy love affair. Either way, you’ll eventually suffer a career setback or a broken heart, and if you’ve lost track of your friends, they may not be there when you need them most. Before that happens, take a second to remind yourself why friends are so important to have around – in good times and in bad.

Reality check
When you spend all of your time alone, or with only one other person, it’s easy to become isolated and out of touch with reality, without even realizing it. Staying in touch with a wide range of friends is the best way to stay tapped into the real world.

Unlike strangers or business acquaintances, friends care about you enough to tell you the truth – even when it might not be the easiest thing to do. Friends can offer constructive criticism, a nudge in the right direction or a little humility when your ego’s a bit overblown.

TLC
In addition to knocking you down when you’re getting too arrogant, friends are also there to pick you when you’re feeling low. They can provide support that you can’t always offer yourself or depend on a lover to provide.

No matter how strong your self-esteem is, there will always be times when you need reassurance from someone else – someone who knows you well. And even the best boyfriend can’t always offer the support and understanding of a girlfriend who’s been through the same things you have.

Fun fun fun
So what’s the thing about friends? They’re fun!

You chose your friends in the first place because you liked them and you had fun spending time with them. Friends know your quirky habits, your secret embarrassing stories and most of all, how to make you laugh.

At the end of the day, friends are an important aspect of everyday life because they make you happy. If you’ve lost touch with a true friend, maybe it’s time to pick up the phone and make up for lost time or set up a girl’s night out with some long-lost pals. It will be good for the soul!