How Friendships Can Serve as Support Systems
You’ve probably gone through a time when you couldn’t focus, couldn’t think, and it felt hard to appreciate anything in your life. Sadness, depression, anxiety; all of these feelings are common in teenagers. But one of the most important things is having a support system that you can rely on to feel better. And friendships can be an excellent source of that.
Having people you can talk to at the end of a long day is so important to mental health. An advisory from the U.S. Surgeon General was issued in 2023 regarding the health risks of loneliness and isolation. We live in a socially-involved society, the golden age of social media and texting. But now more than ever, data has shown that people, especially between the ages of 15 and 24, are experiencing feelings of loneliness. It isn’t just a problem to mental health, but also risks physical health problems. When someone feels isolated, it can cause levels of Cortisol in your brain to increase, which is the stress hormone. When excess amounts of it are released, it can cause multiple issues for the body, including mental health problems such as depression, an inability to focus, a lack of motivation but also physical issues such as cardiovascular disease, Dementia, Diabetes, and high blood pressure.
It has never been more important to have a group of friends who can get you through even some of the hardest times you will even begin to face in high school or beyond. This is a time of reflection, self-discovery, and obstacles, and having someone to be there for you at the end of the day is crucial.
But friendships don’t just come in one form. They could be parents, peers, neighbors, teammates, people you have common interests with. Just connecting to the people who play parts in our lives is a great way to make a new friend. Having mutual trust, and a balance is key to maintaining them. Some friends won’t always stick but some may also be ones you have and cherish for the rest of your life even as you embark on different paths. Everyone has a different future that lies ahead, so building friendships that can help you through the different chapters can help you get to where you need to go. Good friends are there for you when you need them, and will surround you with support but also make sure you do the best for yourself. But it’s a two-way street. Friendships aren’t one-sided, both people must be putting effort into the relationship.
But friendships are beautiful, they can carry us through the hardest times of our life. Just reaching out to people you see and talk to, or people you share similar interests with, is a great way to make friends for life. People will always come and go, but everything happens for a reason. Maybe the next person you meet will be exactly what you need, and maybe you’ll be that for someone else.
Building a community of support is a great way to keep mental health and physical health levels up. It can ensure you continue to be the best version of yourself every day, and help others to do the same.
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