It was the start of 8th grade. I had just gotten out of a bunch of old friendships that didn’t do me very well, and now I was starting over- new class, new teachers, new people, with a few exceptions who I knew and trusted. From the center of the classroom, where I was, I saw a girl who was sitting on one of the side tables, next to my good friend, Prateeka.
She was new, I knew that, and she was quiet. Very, very, quiet. After a bit of self-debating, I slid in the seat next to her and said, “Hi, I’m Samriddhi. What’s your name?” “Tanvi,” she answered softly. As the school year progressed, we got to talking more and more, and now, nearly 10 months later, she’s one of my besties!
Making friends - why is it important?
I’m sure you’re wondering, “What significance does this have?” I made friends with a girl, we’re BFFs now, why am I writing an article about it? Well, as it turns out, being friends with someone can offer so many things that can change your life, and even if it can be hard to find real friends in the time you have on this planet, what’s the harm in trying? Everyone needs friends who support them and understand them, and truth be told, it can be so beneficial.
The significance of making friends
According to statistics from the Science Of People, data from 148 studies have shown that making friends increases your chance of life by over 50%, lowers blood pressure and BMI, lessens inflammation, and a reduced risk of diabetes around the world, and those are great odds for everyone to indulge in, but the real deal lies in the way you choose your friends, because not everybody is able to give you the treatment you deserve, or vice versa, in case you’ve already been a victim of the previous statement.
Is every friendship worth it?
Understanding when someone isn’t treating you well is a difficult task, especially if you’re someone who’s prone to making oblivious statements, and this does not up your social ante. You could wave hello to the new kid, make friends with the most popular person in school, or even form connections with the old lady who feeds the crows, that’s all fine, but in every single one of these situations, you need to be mindful of how they’re treating you, and if you aren’t, that could take you down a very, very dark path.
Making friends is beneficial, in so many ways
To bring up the stats again, the risk for depression, obesity, abuse, suicide, and smoking drastically increases when people spend time around friends who are depressed/suicidal, overweight, smokers, or abuse substances. As I quote the common saying, “A person is known by the company they keep,” and in all contexts, that’s rightfully correct. If you’re
friends with someone who doesn’t treat others well, treats you badly, or they don’t like seaweed chips (I’m joking about the last one) here are 3 ways to help you get rid of those horrifyingly cringe friendships.
- The first option is to talk it out. Sit this person down and just splurge. Tell them everything that you’re uncomfortable with, and let them tell you their side of the story too, because everyone’s views are important to listen to. You could’ve misunderstood something or maybe it just didn’t go down the way they meant to, or maybe you did something that they didn’t like. Possibilities are endless in that way,
- If they’re being really unreasonable, walk away. Just eliminate them from your life, because you won’t feel any need to be their friend anymore. It could be very difficult or it could be super easy, and that depends on how intensely they hurt you and how much you really liked them. The conditions can vary, but the methods stay the same. They just apply to different contexts.
- Ask for help. If you can’t deal with a certain problem, and you’re unsure about what to do, just talk to someone you trust. It can be anyone, really; your mom, your dad, your sister, your dog (pets are very good listeners) it doesn’t matter. Having someone you love and trust be there for you to rant to, and this is an important step so you don’t end up exploding in the middle of the grocery store because someone stole the last Greek yogurt.
Reaching the conclusion
To conclude, having friends can be hard- very, very hard to deal with. But that’s how life is; friends come and go, but eventually, you’ll realise who’s really there for you, and if you’ve got self-control, confidence, and a 200-song-Taylor Swift-based playlist, you can do anything. OK, the last one is optional, but, to be fair, music has proven to be a driving option in the field of confidence.
Until next time, everyone! Bye!
-Samriddhi.
I am a student of Indus International School Hyderabad.
