18 Friendships
Edgar Cardona; Tyler Carreon; Eli Garrison; and Mateo Lopez
Intro
This chapter will be covering how to create and maintain healthy friendships. It will define friendship as well as explain what to expect, how to make friends and where to find them, the give-and-take aspects of supportive friendship, what contributes to a friendship’s success, and the changes having friends will make in your life and health. This chapter also touches on how self-confidence and authenticity affect your ability to connect with others. Finally, this chapter will provide resources and suggestions for help finding like-minded people on campus.
Definition of Friendship
What is friendship? Many people view the term friendship as being in close relations with someone or knowing them on a deeper level than just base material. Friendship is about that desire you feel to interact with another person, it’s about knowing and supporting another’s experiences, thoughts, and goals. Also feeling that sense of belonging, connection, Having the same interests, hobbies, ideas, culture, etc., anything that can connect you to someone else.
Sometimes though, friendships are tougher to create than others. Some people can just instantly connect with one another and build a relationship right off the bat, while others require more time and effort to start. When people share the same interest like a hobby or goals can lead to a strong connection which leads to a friendship. Although those are not the only reasons why people make friendships. Life experiences, same stages of life, similar background information, cultures, etc… are also factors that would typically create a strong friendship. Although not only because you shared these same situations means that you would create a fast and strong friendship, it normally takes time to get really deep. But don’t lose hope! If you like someone or want to get to know them it is still possible, all you have to do is put in that time to want to make it work. Some of the strongest relationships are from being around the longest, so don’t feel like you need to have the best relationship with someone right out the bat. It will come with both time and effort, with those almost any person you meet has the potential to become a good friend.
How to Make Friends
As rookie and veteran college students begin to arrive and settle on campus, one of the first thoughts on their minds is making connections with other individuals. Many college freshmen leave the comfort and familiarity of their high school and people they’ve known for many years, and making new friends in a strange place can be intimidating. Many factors might play into it such as homesickness, not knowing who you are, being more introverted, and having little to no confidence. Remember, everyone has troubles like these in some way. Luckily, colleges have many opportunities for students to meet new people and create those much-needed new connections.
Experiences such as joining a spo