Journaling For Building Fulfilling Friendships
Life-long Friendship: What It Means To Have And Be A Good Friend
"Making friends as an adult is hard!". This sentiment comes from the lack of consistent community spaces, decreased time for socialization, and/or the work involved in finding friendship not being made a priority in many people's lives. With loneliness and isolation being one of the largest contributors to depression, I see this as a huge issue! Solid and healthy friendships can not only prevent negative mental health symptoms - they also can lift us up as we strive for our goals and support us as we move through difficult times.
Below I provided a list of journal topics that can help you reflect on the health of your current friendships and explore new opportunities to build your community. These can be something you ponder alone in a journal, with a trusted partner, or in therapy. Pick one that you feel comfortable and safe exploring and spend the time necessary to dive into it. The answers to these questions are often lengthy and not very concise. I encourage you to lean into this! Rambling can be an important step as we grow and work towards a clear answer.
Journal Prompts for Reflection on Friendship
- Who do you consider a best friend?
- What did your friendships look like when you were a child? How did they change as you grew up?
- What is your most treasured memory with a friend?
- If you are struggling with building community and friendship as an adult, what do you feel is getting in your way? What factors are in your control?
- Have you ever had to cut ties with a close friend? How did the end of this relationship affect you? How are you feeling about the end of this relationship now?
- What is most important to you in a friend?
- Shared interests?
- Shared culture/experiences?
- Something else?
- What do you do to be a good friend?
- Reflect on a situation that triggers social anxiety? Can you identify why this situation is particularly challenging?
- How does it feel to share a boundary with a close friend? An Acquaintance? A stranger?
- When do you find yourself pushing your friends away?
