Friends~
Last month the focus of my happiness project was suppose to be friends…
Friends have not always been my strong point.
I have always been close to my family and they are still the people I am closest to. Braking away from them to make friendships was something I always felt like I needed but never did. When I did break away I tended to lose myself in friendships. I needed to be stronger in who I was. A balance. Friends should be people that make your life easier to live whether it be that you need someone to talk to, advice, or just a good laugh.
Fortunately, I can say now that God has blessed me with great people in my life. For the first time I really don’t feel that I am lacking. Everyone I do have around me brings me up and that is all I need. Now I have lots of people that all contribute to my whole picture (or puzzle) of happiness even if it is not perfect. I have a good girlfriend friend to share my joys and sorrows with. A whole slew of wonderful Christian ladies that are guaranteed to make you laugh your socks off when all together. I have a hubby to share my life with. A sissy that I swear is one of the only people who really gets how odd I can sometimes be and still loves me for it. A Daddy that would drop anything for me. And a Momma that is my rock in so many ways. My kids make me crazy and I’m not quite sure if I can call them friends yet, but they can make me laugh just the same. I have a great extended family, people who care about me, and people I love. My cup runnith over…
Here are a few things I found on friendship
A friendship can weather most things and thrive in thin soil; but it needs a little mulch of letters and phone calls and small, silly presents every so often - just to save it from drying out completely. Pam Brown
How to be a Good Friend
A to Z of Friendship
A Good Friend -
Accepts you as you are
Believes in "you"
Calls you just to say "HI"
Doesn't give up on you
Envisions the whole of you
Forgives your mistakes
Gives unconditionally
Helps you
Invites you over
Just "be" with you
Keeps you close at heart
Loves you for who you are
Makes a difference in your life
Never Judges
Offers support
Picks you up
Quiets your fears
Raises your spirits
Says nice things about you
Tells you the truth when you need hear it
Understands you
Values you
Walks beside you
Xplain things you don't understand
Yells when you won't listen and
Zaps you back to real.
Accepts you as you are
Believes in "you"
Calls you just to say "HI"
Doesn't give up on you
Envisions the whole of you
Forgives your mistakes
Gives unconditionally
Helps you
Invites you over
Just "be" with you
Keeps you close at heart
Loves you for who you are
Makes a difference in your life
Never Judges
Offers support
Picks you up
Quiets your fears
Raises your spirits
Says nice things about you
Tells you the truth when you need hear it
Understands you
Values you
Walks beside you
Xplain things you don't understand
Yells when you won't listen and
Zaps you back to real.
More Than A Shoulder to Cry On: The Surprising Benefits of Friendship
Women are hardwired to crave close friendships, and these bonds can provide us with unique benefits. Here, a few things researchers have recently uncovered about the power of friendships.
The friendship effect: Mountains become molehills
How it works: In a study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, researchers asked participants to stand at the base of a steep hill and estimate how tough it would be to climb. Those standing with a friend gauged the ascent to be less steep compared with those who were alone.
What's more... The longer the study participants had known their friends, the more gentle they estimated the incline to be.
The friendship effect: Disease becomes less deadly
How it works: Harvard research has shown that breast cancer patients with no friendship network are four times more likely to die from the disease than those with ten or more close friends.
What's more... Studies have also shown that social support can lower blood pressure, protect against dementia, and reduce the risk of depression.
The friendship effect: Stress feels more manageable
How it works: When women are stressed, their brains release the feel-good hormone oxytocin, which encourages them to bond. (Male brains, on the other hand, are more subject to the effects of the hormones cortisol and adrenaline, which promote the fight-or-flight response.)
What's more... "The female response is much more effective in mitigating stress and may be one reason women tend to outlive men," says Terri Apter, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of Cambridge.
Read more: http://www.oprah.com/relationships/The-Hidden-Benefits-of-Friendship#ixzz1SySOVD00
How it works: In a study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, researchers asked participants to stand at the base of a steep hill and estimate how tough it would be to climb. Those standing with a friend gauged the ascent to be less steep compared with those who were alone.
What's more... The longer the study participants had known their friends, the more gentle they estimated the incline to be.
The friendship effect: Disease becomes less deadly
How it works: Harvard research has shown that breast cancer patients with no friendship network are four times more likely to die from the disease than those with ten or more close friends.
What's more... Studies have also shown that social support can lower blood pressure, protect against dementia, and reduce the risk of depression.
The friendship effect: Stress feels more manageable
How it works: When women are stressed, their brains release the feel-good hormone oxytocin, which encourages them to bond. (Male brains, on the other hand, are more subject to the effects of the hormones cortisol and adrenaline, which promote the fight-or-flight response.)
What's more... "The female response is much more effective in mitigating stress and may be one reason women tend to outlive men," says Terri Apter, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of Cambridge.
Read more: http://www.oprah.com/relationships/The-Hidden-Benefits-of-Friendship#ixzz1SySOVD00
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