Wellness: Friendship

Friendship is made of mutual affection, trust and support between people. It is a stronger form of interpersonal relationship than an acquaintance, such as a classmate, neighbor, coworker, or colleague. Often friends share some common beliefs and values. 

To develop friendships with others you already know:

• Make a list of people who could be potential friends
• Stay in touch with people with whom you've worked or taken classes
• Reconnect with old friends
• Reach out to people you've enjoyed meeting 
• Introduce yourself to neighbors
• Ask mutual friends and acquaintances to connect you with the person

To meet new people you may become friends with:

• Go places you are interested in where people gather. Community events, clubs, groups, volunteer, place of worship, fitness center
• Take the initiative inviting others to hang out
• Maintain a friendly attitude and demeanor

• Consider boxing up things that remind you of the friend 
• Try to stay busy or find other activities if it was someone you spend a lot of time with 
• Don’t take it personally, unless you know you did something wrong 
• Allow yourself time to grieve 
• Understand that not all friendships are meant to be forever 
• Reflect on what you learned in the relationship 
• Appreciate the friends you still have 
• Process your feelings with a trusted friend, family member or therapist 
• Acknowledge if you had a role in the breakup 
• Seeing your ex-friend may bring pain at first so consider unfollowing them from social media and avoiding places you may bump into them 

Source: Better by Today and Oprah Daily

Source: Mayo Clinic