Today there is such a focus on having such a large group of friends that we forget the quality of the friends that we should be looking for. It’s important to have friends that you can have fun and be social with, but it’s also important to have friends that act as a support system for you.
A supportive friend is someone that you can depend on to listen to you, to understand when you need their help without judgment, and someone who won’t turn their back on you. This person should be someone that you can have fun with but also understands when you’re not in the mood for that. This is a person who not only loves you at your best but their love for you is unconditional at your worst. They know that when you’re at your worst, it may not always be pretty, but they stay by your side until things get better. This friend may not always be able to understand what you’re going through, but is willing to listen and try to understand without judgment.
It is also important to know that this friendship goes two ways; both friends need to be supporting each other symbiotically. Some days, one friend may need more support than the other, and there is a mutual understanding of that.
Building a support system takes work and an understanding that sometimes it may be a little messy. But what makes a support system healthy is sticking by each other even if it’s hard, even if you don’t always understand what your friend may be going through and how to go about it. It takes work but builds stronger friendships that you can rely on.
So yes, make sure you have a group of friends that you can have fun with, but also remember that we all need support, too; build that support system and be that support system!