With the change in the recent times, most of us are spending time in front of a screen and constantly churning our grey cells to produce something sustainable and impeccable. However, while doing so, we often ignore the most important aspect of efficiency – rest. Mental rest is as important as muscular relaxation. Though sleep helps in mental rest, but, it is in either sub-conscious or unconscious state. Regularly, we need to recharge mentally by just having a laugh that does not require working of the “grey cells”, analytical thinking and calculating the output.
Not only being happy helps in improving the mental health, but it also reduces the risks of stress-related mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, memory problems etc. Though some can be cured with time, others often pose as a life altering condition.
So, social connection is very important. A connection can simply be people having a good laugh every now and then. And who are better at reducing the mental stress than friends.
Friend: the term itself means a lot to many people. Friends are that part of a person’s life who can help maintain a good and healthy mental life. Friends are people in your life who play the role of a person with whom you can share most of your secrets without hesitation and worry. And sharing emotions, feelings, and secrets helps maintain a healthy life.
Friendship provides a lot more than just good times in your life. Just as healthy eating and exercise are essential investments toward one’s health, maintaining healthy relationships should also be considered a valuable investment. Spending quality time with friends is not just a leisure activity and enjoyable fun time but also has multiple benefits on the long-term physical and emotional health of a person. Friends are anyone who may or may not be biologically related to a person and provides positive social and emotional support.
Let’s understand why spending time with friends benefits one’s mental health and how quality time with friends can help you maintain healthy mental health.
The Top Reasons Why Spending Time with Friends is Essential for Your Mental Health
There are various reasons why spending time with friends is considered a healthy practice. However, we have filtered out some of the essential benefits of spending time with friends.
1. Helps in stress reduction
Stress is part and parcel of our daily life. Think of the last time you were worried or upset and did not share it with anyone. You might have felt more anxious compared to a time when you shared the reason for your worry with someone. If you know that there are people you can rely on, then it is less likely that you will face a difficult time due to stress.
2. Helps in boosting self-esteem
Friends can serve as the best source of encouragement in your life. This can help you in boosting your self-esteem and confidence. Your friends are always happy to share your success and encourage you to stay strong in tough times and move ahead with a strong will. The praises and reassurances of friends will always help you feel more confident.
3. Provides you with emotional support
If you are facing a difficult emotional time, having a friend to assist you in the transition can make it easier for you. Your social ties help you vent and get emotional support. This also helps in providing much-needed psychological well-being. Those who take the support of family and friends have a greater sense of meaning in life and a strong sense of purpose too.
4. Helps you in becoming the best version of yourself with time
Friends can help you in multiple ways. One of those is by making yourself the best version of yourself. When you stay in regular touch with your friends and share quality time with them, you learn various social and emotional qualities. For example, you become generous, ambitious, helpful, interactive, socially aware, and more family-friend-oriented.
You also get support in making life decisions when you have good friends. They help you in analyzing different aspects of the decision that you make in life. This allows you to make better decisions, improving your quality of life.
For example, if you plan to quit a bad habit, friends will help you opt for a good practice like gym, running, daily exercise, yoga, or joining a community group. Also, you will get a company in all these activities and get more social, which is more beneficial.
5. Learn new things without spending time on screen
Every now and then, a group of friends indulge in healthy discussions about current affairs, concepts, innovations, finance etc. Often the topics are heard of through word-of-mouth, but your friends can help you understand concepts and explain unknow topics with ease to you. The biggest benefit here is that the learning is cognitive without spending time on a screen.
Conclusion
Good friends are an essential part of your life and play a vital role in every stage of your life. They not only provide emotional and social support but also help you in making better life decisions. Friendship is a relationship that gets stronger over time as a person becomes mature and changes over time. And as the friendship grows, more important values like trust, forgiveness, respect, and support for each other improve.
