This article on Thought Catalog got us thinking about the power of friends in our lives. We’re social beings, and research more and more shows how bad loneliness is for our health. Lonely people are more likely to have heart disease and stroke, have immune system problems, and may even have a harder time recovering from cancer. Whew. That’s…
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Helping a Grieving Friend
One of the joys of friends is getting to experience life with them — we’re with them to cheer on their successes and share in their happiness. That also means one of the less fun parts of friendship is being there when our friends are in pain. And when a friend loses a loved one,…
No Matter the Distance: Friendships Can Thrive Across the Miles
Question: How many of your friends live either a long drive, or a flight, away from you? The odds are that one, or more, of your dearest friends do not live in the same city, state or country that you do. But the distance doesn’t mean these friendships aren’t strong and thriving, because you truly…
Building Work Friendships — One Step at a Time
So many of us have a love-hate relationship with work. It brings us some combination of satisfaction, confidence, status, money. And, at the same time, stress, stress, and more stress — from feeling overworked or underappreciated. That’s just for people who basically like their jobs. (We won’t go down a rabbit hole of recrimination, unfairness,…
A Riddle: We Get a Fresh Supply Everyday Yet We Never Have Enough
Any guesses? Collectively, our survey repeatedly identified this as an obstacle to developing new friendships and maintaining existing ones. And the answer is (all together now…) time. Those 24 hours drain away fast. They’re parceled out to meet the demands of our roles and responsibilities at home and work (including commuting), with our family (both…
Friends: You’re More Connected than You Think (It’s In the Genes)
Our introductions to new people are typically related to having something in common. Perhaps we work together, volunteer for the same organizations, have kids who go to the same schools, have traveled to the same places, etc. But, why do we remain acquaintances with some individuals, and develop friendships with others? There is evidence to…
Friendcations for Women Over 40
Let’s hear it for the Friendcation! It’s really a thing and it has two definitions: 1. to take a break from a friend 2. a trip with friends you want to spend time with Both are interesting aspects of friendship to explore. But, now that it’s warming up here in the northern hemisphere, with thoughts…
Origin story: Terri
In reflecting on my friendship experiences and history, I picture an IMDB drop-down list of roles and characters, with the earlier roles (meaning the friendships) giving way to more in-depth ones in the present. I made friends in the neighborhood and in grade school (a few that today are Facebook friends, too); and high school…
Origin Story: Manya
A few years ago, I was on the hunt for information about how to make new friends. Events had conspired in my life to leave me feeling like I didn’t have a buddy to hang out with, no one to call to meet for a quick dinner or movie. In that quest, the seed for Project BFF…