August 6, 2023
Friendships Day is celebrated on every first Sunday of August Month; it is very common to see friend’s groups meeting at cafés, restaurants, cinema theatres, exchanging cards, tying friendships bands and sharing some happy moments together. Friends and friendships are very essential to our well-being, just as we need physical exercise and nutrition to our physical wellbeing. A vital component of maintaining our mental health is friendship. Our friends can help us remain grounded, put things into perspective, and manage life's challenges.
Imagine a time when you were feeling low or when you were feeling lost or crippled in a challenging situation, and you give a call to one of your close friends, and have a heartfelt talk, observe the physiological changes, as well as the changes in the mood. Don’t you feel emotionally much better? I recently was feeling lost with clutter of things going on in my mind, I just thought of taking a break and calling one of my good friends and having a chat, we don’t frequently get to meet but once in a while we catch up on a call and the conservations go for an hour, there’s so much we have to talk about our family, work, our progress and end of the day a normal phone call turns out to be so therapeutic, and you clear observes changes in your mood, and feel more light and lively.
Dr Aziz an ayurveda paediatrician from KLE Ayurveda College Belgaum says, spending time with school friends has been a mental detoxification, with every laughter we blow off our worries with unconditional sharing we ease our burden, it’s an experience of belonging with no barriers of condition.
Dr Mariamma Philip an additional professor in the department of bio statistics NIMHANS says friends are like family we choose. I don’t have many friends, but I and my friend talk for 30 minutes once a while and we feel very happy to listen to each other.
Hence friendships are not just about hanging out together, it is much more than that. Numerous Researches have been conducted to understand how friendships contribute to mental health and here are few of the findings:
• Friends help in reducing Anxiety and Stress.
• Having Close friendships during adolescent times can promote better mental health during Adulthood.
• Friendships help in improving Cognitive functioning by improving one’s capacity of Memory and Recall.
• Friendships brings in a feeling of support and Intimacy.
• Friendships promote better health habits
Hence On this occasion of friendship day try connecting to a friend on a call or in person, and spend some quality time, as “Small moments of connection are so important for us as part of the human experience,” said Thea Gallagher, PsyD, clinical assistant professor in the department of psychiatry at NYU Langone Health.