Good Friends: The Best Medicine for the Soul

This saying on friendship says it all: “He who has a good friend, has a treasure.” As we move forward in our lives, some people come and some people go, but good, true friends are there with you no matter the circumstances. In some way or another, they’re always by your side.

But having good friends doesn’t mean that you can’t let more into your life. On the contrary, if you let more people into your life, you can benefit from all that their friendship offers. Even temporary friendships (for example, when you’re on a trip) can contribute a lot to your internal growth.

If you don’t take care of your friendships, you’ll lose them

The reality of friendships is that we lose friends as the years pass, because we limit ourselves to what’s going on with our own lives. But true friends will always be by your side and of course, you’ll always have the opportunity to develop new friendships if you’re open to it.

Sometimes, even the closest friendships can be lost if someone changes jobs, moves to a different city, is too busy to give their friend the time of day, or simply because keeping in touch seems too complicated for some people.

Friendship is like a plant of love; you have to water it every day

Friendship is like love. You can compare it to a potted plant: if you don’t water it every day to see how it grows and flourishes, it will slowly dry up, wither, and die. You need to take care of friendships like you do with plants; you need to water them every day so they can become beautiful plants with strong roots.

Even though being in-person is the best form of social interaction, with all the communication methods we have, there’s no reason to not stay in touch with the people we love the most. Also, it’s necessary to build healthy relationships and bonds as a way to continue growing both at the individual level and the social level. Good friends can provide you with benefits like these that will last forever.

Friends can make you live longer and be happier

If you have good friends who bring you happiness, you could actually live longer. All of your friends will make you feel loved, like an important member of a small society, and they’ll also care about you and your physical and emotional well-being.

A true friend will tell you what they think. They’ll tell you if they think something isn’t a good idea, with you and your happiness in mind. They’ll be your adviser. And they’ll also help you to feel healthier, to have a better life, and to feel a different way about sharing your love with others.

Friends are good for your heart and mind

Your friends can make you feel much happier each day, even on the days when you don’t feel like doing anything. On those gray days, your friends will be your ray of light. They’ll be a very important support system during difficult times, like when you’re under stress or having problems with your mood.

The best friends are happy and optimistic

If you surround yourself with happy and optimistic friends, your happiness will increase, almost without you even realizing. However, if you choose unhappy or toxic friendships, you certainly won’t be as happy as you deserve, and you’ll suffer from problems with some of them. That’s why it’s so important to have healthy friendships.

Good friends will bring you emotional security and improve your sense of belonging and purpose. Just like a flock of birds that fly together, that’s how you’ll feel in your circle of friendship, flying by yourself, but surrounded by friends who accompany you on this long journey, with the same ideas and views of the world.

Treat your friends they way you’d want them to treat you

The best way to be a friend is to treat others the way you’d want them to treat you. Or better yet, treat them the way you’d treat yourself. And remember something important: it’s never too late to start. True friends will know what you’re worth and how important you are in their lives.