Friends are extremely important to us. They are often like members of our own family. In fact, many people spend more time with their friends than with their relatives. People also tell their friends more secrets. We start friendships almost from the time we can walk. Everyone has special childhood friends, and some of these become lifelong friends. We usually meet our best friends early on in our life. Best friends usually stay best friends forever. Nowadays the internet has changed the way we make friends. Many people strike up friendships online. The web is also useful to find long-lost friends. There are many sites to find old friends. Connecting with the people are around you, your family, friends, colleagues and neighbours are key to your overall wellbeing. These relationships will support and enrich you. This has been particularly important and challenging during the pandemic. Good relationships are important for your mental wellbeing. They can help you to build a sense of belonging and self-worth, give you an opportunity to share positive experiences and provide emotional support and allow you to support others. There are many benefits of friendships, there is a distinct connection between wellbeing and friendship, in smile terms good friends are good for your health. They help you celebrate the successes in your life, as well as providing a listening ear and support network when you experience lows or in times of need. Maintaining significant relationships in our lives brings numerous health benefits, such as increasing our self esteem and confidence, reducing our stress levels and boosting our sense of purpose and belonging. As well as the wellbeing benefits those friendships bring, our friends help us become more well-rounded individuals. For example, through our relationships with others we learn about different cultures, beliefs and languages. As our lives progress, many of us find it difficult to develop new friendships. This is often because of new priorities that require our focus and attention, such as work, childcare or career responsibilities. In addition, your long-lasting friendships might become strained due to you relocating to a new community or simply because of changes in your lives and interests. The result of which can have negative effect on your mental health and wellbeing. The world is getting smaller and smaller. The population is growing yet we can all communicate with each other instantaneously. This is a great thing as we have access to so much knowledge at our fingertips, and can chat with people from different cultures as easily as we can chat to the person in the next room. Use the day to read about people whose lives are very different to your own and think about how this makes you feel. In our busy lives, we often forget to pause and reach out to those who are closest to us. Take some time on this day to do this. If you can’t see a friend, ring them up for a chat or reach out to someone who you have not spoken to for a while. Use this day of friendship to slow down a little and catch up with the friends and family you maybe neglect a little with your busy schedule. Get together, either virtually or in real life to enjoy each other’s company. By making this time to be social, you will strengthen the bonds that hols your friendship together, and make a positive difference to the lives of people who care about you.
St. Xavier’s Bangalore values the friendships which brought unity and compassion for the economy. This is yet another day for celebrating the beautiful relationships we have. Friends and family forms the most beautiful part of our life. We never fail to remember and transfer the values and positive attitude to our students which expresses the significance of unity in diversity.