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Friendships and relationships

Friendships and relationships can be complicated: explore how they can affect our mental health.

Why are friends and relationships so important?

Friendships and relationships have a huge impact on your mental health and happiness. Good relationships and friendships relieve stress, provide comfort and joy, and prevent loneliness and isolation and can impact our level of confidence.

Developing close friendships can also have a powerful impact on your physical health. Lack of social connection may pose as much of a risk as smoking, drinking too much, or leading a sedentary lifestyle. Friends are even tied to longevity. One Swedish study found that, along with physical activity, maintaining a rich network of friends can add significant years to your life.

Here are some Tools to help with developing healthy friendships and relationships:

How to Trust

Knowing how to trust is rarely taught in life, and after being hurt once or multiple times we can lose trust in people or find it very difficult to trust. Here are some signs of trustworthy person. 10 telltale signs of a trustworthy person 1) They are consistent. … 2) They’re always willing to compromise.… Continue reading How to Trust

Emotionally Unavailable Parent

Emotionally Unavailable Parent “I think I literally craved love and attention as a child. The more my mother withdrew, the more frantic I became. I became a troublemaker because I knew she would pay attention to me, even if it meant punishment. It sounds weird, but that’s what I did. Since I couldn’t get her love, I settled… Continue reading Emotionally Unavailable Parent

The Stages of Loss

The Stages of Loss The five stages – denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance – are often talked about as if they happen in order, moving from one stage to the other. You might hear people say things like ‘Oh I’ve moved on from denial and now I think I’m entering the angry stage’. Denial Feeling numb… Continue reading The Stages of Loss

How to Be Vulnerable

How to Be Vulnerable Whether we struggle to be vulnerable with our partner, friends, family, or anyone, here are some things you can do in order to be closer with your loved ones or friends by opening up and practicing being vulnerable… 1. Ask for what you need. When we’re hurting, it’s easy to dismiss our… Continue reading How to Be Vulnerable

Friendship Break up

Friendship Break up “Having close friendships is linked to better health, yet one in eight adults have no close friends at all” The loss of a friendship can be just as hard as a relationship break up. Whether it’s the slow drifting apart from a childhood friend, the sudden, sharp distance created by a disagreement,… Continue reading Friendship Break up

How to Make Friends

How to Make Friends If you are looking to make new friends, you have to get clear on what kind of friends you want to make. Generally speaking, there are 3 types of friends: “Hi-Bye” friends (or acquaintances). These are the ones you see at school/work because the context calls for it. You say hi when you see each… Continue reading How to Make Friends

Am I Gay? (LGBTQ+)

Am I Gay? (LGBT+) Questioning your sexuality? You are not alone… Although there is no pressure to have a label for your sexuality, it can sometimes be a comfort to be sure of what your prefer when you are feeling confused, unsure or ashamed of your feelings… sexuality is something personal but also is celebrated… Continue reading Am I Gay? (LGBTQ+)

How to Combat Loneliness

How to Combat Loneliness Loneliness can be difficult to cope with and can start to affect our mental health, making us feel sad, depressed, or giving us feelings of low self-esteem. Sometimes, if we are already struggling with our mental health, it can feel difficult for us to interact with our loved ones in the… Continue reading How to Combat Loneliness

How COVID has affected my Mental Health

How COVID has affected my Mental Health How was mental health affected by the pandemic? Choose which of the following applies to you… Mental health support at university 392 young people answered questions about mental health support at their university: 34% felt confident that they can get mental health support at university if they need… Continue reading How COVID has affected my Mental Health

Loneliness at University

Loneliness at University Loneliness in university or college is completely normal. There are many people who feel the same way as you. If you find that your loneliness persists and makes you depressed, try talking to a close friend or family member. You can also visit the campus support center at any time. What can… Continue reading Loneliness at University

Relationship Anxiety

Relationship Anxiety Learning how to Cope with Relationship Anxiety “Are they cheating on me?” “Are they really where they say they are?” “I only feel secure when we’re together, but feel extremely anxious when we’re apart”  In some cases, even after the exchange of “I love you” in the relationship, these questions still remain. If… Continue reading Relationship Anxiety

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