Choose Your Friends Wisely - Enhance Your Well-being

In the garden of friendship is where we cultivate love. Choose your friends wisely and the love that grows will be a blessing. ~Unknown

Choosing Friends: Friends Affect Your Life

What affect have your friends had on your life? Does your attitude improve when you are with them? Do they reinforce your goals? Are you inspired by the lives they lead?

The types of people you form friendships with affect your life, more specifically your well-being. How you blossom over the course of your life time depends on the quality of your relationships with your friends. Friendships correlate with your disposition and sense of well-being in your daily life. It is all part of your journey of marching towards living a blissful life. So, choose your friends wisely.

According to a recent WebMD report:

Good friends may help your life last longer, too, according to an Australian study. Conducted by the Centre for Ageing Studies at Flinders University, the study followed nearly 1,500 older people for 10 years. It found that those who had a large network of friends outlived those with the fewest friends by 22%.

Why is this such a big deal? The findings indicate that good friends discourage unhealthy behaviors, for example smoking and heavy drinking. The companionship that friends offer may guard against depression, boost self-esteem, and provide support. Moreover, as people age, they may become more choosy about their friends. So, they spend more time with people they like.

Research is replete with findings that show the health benefits of friendship to include: increased self-esteem, help when facing adversity and dealing with stress, encouraging you to take better care of yourself, enhancing longevity, reducing cardiovascular and immune problems, and increasing happiness.

10 Rules for Growing Your Garden of Friends

Here we go. Choose people who are:

• Positive and optimistic
• Trustworthy and make you feel at ease
• Supportive of your goals
• Your raving fans
• Interested in your life
• Compassionate and loving
• Gracious and forgiving
• Loving, kind, patient, inspiring, and hopeful
• Spiritual and foster a sense of peace and calm
• Models of a well-lived life

Grow your garden of friends. Choosing wisely will foster a sense that you are in more control of your life. The love that blossoms will be a blessing to you and those connected to you.

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