Is friendship a priority in your life? Do you see your friends regularly? Or are you too busy juggling family and work to have much of a social life?
👯 Friendship is key to your mental health. You need friends for support and fun.
Most of my clients have very full work and family lives. Friendship often takes the back burner. In my coaching sessions, I keep hearing the theme of yearning for more connection with friends. A typical action item is to book a coffee with a friend.
❤️ Leaning on your friends for support helps you cope better with stress. Create a social buffer of friends, family, and close work peers. Take an inventory of these resources and identify how each person can help you manage the different types of stress you face. Reach out to these friends in times of stress.
I couldn’t have gotten through my divorce 💔 and the complexities of dating in my 40’s as a single mom without leaning heavily on my friendships. But, in the last year, my mission to find my “forever” guy and my growing coaching business have limited my bandwidth for friendship. I have neglected my friends because I’m “too busy” 😥
This is not ok and something I need to change. So, while my kids were with their Dad last week, I went on a trip to the Dominican Republic with my friends. It felt amazing to reconnect with my friends, to help them out with their kids, and to enjoy paradise together 😎
What can you do to prioritize the friendships in your life?
According to my hero, Mel Robbins, “you have friends for a reason, friends for a season, and friends for a lifetime.” Are you missing any friends in these categories? Or, are there any friends you need to let go of?
The idea of “best friends forever” puts pressure on you to hang onto friendships that no longer serve you and gives you no space to add new friends. Friendship can be flexible based on current passions and goals, not history.
Are you too busy or too tired to make time for your friends? Friends are crucial to your happiness. They make life meaningful. You more than get out what you put into friendship.
🛑 Stop making excuses and start making friendship a priority. Your friends want to lighten your load and to brighten your day.
I challenge you to reach out to a friend today – just to say hi.
If you liked this content, please share it with a friend 😍
Curious to learn more about the work I do? Check out my latest podcast guesting episode with the brilliant and insightful Stephanie James: https://mindbodyspirit.fm/shows/igniting-the-spark-with-stephanie-james/
Lots of love,
-Anna
