Teen Space

A friend indeed!

Silhouette of young friends holding hands and jumping
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“Diamonds aren’t your best friends. It’s best friends who are your diamonds.”

Friends have a continued presence in your life. Especially in the tumultuous transition from adolescence to adulthood, many teens feel friends’ support is what makes life livable. You share your little triumphs as well as embarrassing secrets; tell them everything that happens to you (good or bad) and take their advice on major as well as little decisions. When you’re upset or sad, friends always make the time to listen, care and be there. Although this care is rendered in many other relationships, such as your siblings, cousins or parents, it somehow never adds up to the support you perceive from friends. You’re blessed with your blood family, but friends are the family you choose to love and be loved. Unconditionally. That is why it’s much easier to open your heart to friends and rely on these pillars of support throughout your life.

And yet, people can at times take these bonds for granted. That is why friendships break, and you drift apart from your buddies who were once your unrelenting support. If only you invested rightly and put in a little more time and effort into maintaining these special relations. Here are seven tips for nourishing and nurturing your friendships:

Always be appreciative

More often than we realize, we take our friends for granted; assuming that it is their birth responsibility to help us each time we need them, without being grateful for their love and time. We let our egos get in the way of showing them that we care about them. It’s important to take out the time to remind your friends that you love them, why you feel this emotion; and reinstate their value in your life. Like the popular band Coldplay said in their song, Everglow: “If you love someone, you should let them know…”

Cover of the August 2022 issue of The Teenager Today - Independence Day Special

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Dr Shefali Batra is a Psychiatrist and Mindfulness Coach. Connect with her on Instagram @drshefalibatra and read more about her work at drshefalibatra.com.

Dr Shefali Batra

Dr Shefali Batra is a Psychiatrist and Mindfulness Coach. Connect with her on Instagram @drshefalibatra and read more about her work at drshefalibatra.com.