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In friendship, there are many benefits beyond the social aspects that can enrich an individual’s perception of life. The contribution that friendships make to our well-being goes deeper than just “having something to do” and eventually adhering to a part of a childhood being acknowledged.

There is a guide that my group has created where we pick an activity for every Thursday to do together. On one of those days, we had chosen to go for a traditional soft-serve ice cream date. While at the location my friend mentioned: “These Thursday dates seem to be healing my inner child.” What she said, as a mere statement, stuck with me and warmed my heart because now all we seem to do is keep ourselves preoccupied with little to no time to just be.

A fairly recent post was made by Mayo Clinic last year regarding this topic and I was able to resonate with some concepts that were shared. Having a healthy support system and maintaining consistent relationships boosts our sense of belonging and being able to hold ourselves accountable. The community we have around us either makes or breaks our values, experiences, perceptions, and habits.

Mental health was usually a topic that not too many people engaged in but having open communication with those who are in close proximity speaks volume since a vast majority of our time is spent with them.