We all love our friends and we all want plenty of them. Good friends are like jewels in our crown and they are priceless.
They can be our biggest cheer squad, they can help us to find perspective and support when we are under pressure and they are great to hang out with in our free time.
But what of friends who drag us down by their negativity or their enjoyment of gossiping or putting others down?
Too many of us hold on to friendships for fear of having no friends. The reverse is often the case. We become like the people with whom we spend most of our time.
Their outlook will eventually affect our own outlook. Negativity breeds negativity and breaking free from negative people will help us to remain positive and attract
Other positive people to us.
Researchers are increasingly discovering that women who share their problems with other women may not necessarily find the relief they need to a problem or distressing
Situation, by sharing problems with other women.
If they discussion continues to be negative, then the situation can be exacerbated by sharing the problem with others, rather than actually providing relief for it.
It is important that children and teenagers learn appropriate ways of dealing with negative emotions so they don’t need to rely on others when they are feeling down.
Dealing with our negative emotions is a skill that many adults also need to learn.
Perhaps the most important realization for all of us is that sadness and anxiety are normal parts of everyone’s life and whilst we may think at times that we are the only person facing a particular situation, this isn’t true.
Every day people live through similar feelings and experiences and so will we if we just learn to be patient with them.
However, the damage that results from our feelings of anxiety and despair may be the result of the comments of well meaning friends, rather than the problem itself.
