Thanksgiving Day may be over, but thanksgiving is a daily affair. Like most people, I am thankful for food, shelter, family, good health, security, etc. And I am incredibly grateful for my friends. I am truly blessed with great friendships and all the associated richness. So, still in the thanksgiving mood, I want to say to all of my friends, “Thank you for being a friend.”
As it turns out, being grateful for our friends and expressing gratitude to our friends go a long way in maintaining our physical and mental health. So, telling a friend, “thank you for being a friend,” is not just sentimental; it is an intentional act that can improve our mood and reduce our risk of diseases. So, if you do not value your friends, take them for granted, or are unaware of their crucial role in your overall health and quality of life, check out these eight health and wellness benefits of good friendships.
8 health and wellness benefits of good friendships
1) Longer lifespan
People with strong social relationships are more likely to live longer than those with weaker social relationships. Research shows that having strong friendships is just as important as not smoking to reduce the risk of death. In fact, not having strong friendships may increase the risk of death much more than obesity or physical inactivity.
2) Reduced stress level
Having a friend you trust and can open up to is crucial to your well-being. Confiding in a trusted friend is a very important way to destress and recalibrate.
3) Improved emotional support
We all crave emotional support. A valued friend can provide you with the emotional support that your partner or family member may be unable to deliver. Your close friends could be the ones to support you through challenging times, such as major illnesses, loss, divorce, unemployment, etc.
4) Less chronic illnesses
Studies show that people with strained friendships are more likely to experience chronic illnesses. On the contrary, those with supportive friends are happier.
5) Greater influence
“Show me your friend, and I will tell you who you are.” – is a famous saying.
Good habits can be contagious among friends. Generally, we tend to emulate our friends with good habits. Unfortunately, bad habits can also be contagious among friends, so you have to be careful about the company you keep.
6) Increased happiness
Happiness, like health, is a group affair. Studies show that our happiness depends on the happiness of others with whom we are connected. Interestingly, researchers found that if the friend of your friend is happy, you are also more likely to be happy. So, part of your responsibility as a friend is to stay happy and positive so that your network of friends and friends of friends can also be happy and positive. There are so many ways to do this – organize a girl’s outing, go shopping, connect with old friends from high school, or create fun activities and challenges together. In fact, the list of things you can do to improve communal joy, health, wellness, and happiness is endless!
7) Higher sense of belonging
As humans, it is vital to know that we matter to others. It helps us mentally and emotionally to know we have friends that care for our well-being.
8) Improved brain health
Studies show that having strong social ties helps to improve brain health, thereby reducing the risk of dementia and decline in brain function.
What type of friend are you?
According to Aristotle, there are three categories of friends. Check out the table below to find out more:
You will have friends in each category. Being a utility friend or a pleasure friend is not wrong, just incomplete. We need some virtue friendships because that is where we enjoy the total health and well-being benefits of true friendship. However, being a good friend to others is just as important as having good friends. Many people want virtue friends but need help on how to become one.
How to become a virtue friend
Fortunately, we only need a few virtue friends to thrive and fulfill our potential. Cultivating virtue relationships involves time and effort but promises great rewards. For successful virtue friendships, you must be ready to give and take trust, respect, forgiveness, support, and love.
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity (Prov17:17, NIV)
Be that friend who loves at all times! Invest in your friendships. When you become that friend, you will attract virtue friends.
Final thoughts
I am grateful that I am not doing life alone but in the company of my amazing group of friends. You are highly valued and appreciated, even if I don’t say it often. Unfortunately, this blog post is not long enough for me to mention all of my valued friends by name. Though social media can be time-consuming, I am grateful that it has helped me keep in contact with my friends.
For my utility friends, my pleasure friends, and my virtue friends, I am very grateful. You are all in my life for a purpose. However, for my virtue friends, I need to say a big thank you. Thank you for all the inside jokes, the shared recipes, the food and workout challenges, the shared daily devotionals, and all the other shared experiences. Thanks for providing a listening ear when I need to vent and for lifting my spirits when I am down. I am grateful for friends that are not afraid to tell me the truth even when I don’t want to hear it. I can categorically say that my life would not be the same without you.
And as Andrew Gold sang,
And when we both get older
With walking canes and hair of gray
Have no fear, even though it’s hard to hear
I will stand real close and say, thank you for being a friend…
So, to all my friends, I look forward to many more years of friendship, and thank you for being a friend!
Please feel free to share your comments below and also feel free to share this article.
Yours in health and fitness,
Doctor Abi
