Let’s talk about friendship. The social, emotional and physical benefits of strong bonds and the disadvantages and drawbacks of toxic pals. When you think about it, friendship was an obvious first topic for our new podcast The Well.
More on that in a moment.
You see, when my mate, 97.3FM breakfast radio host Robin Bailey and I decided to do a podcast together we knew immediately we wanted to create something that we ourselves (err, DESPERATELY) needed! We wanted a conversation – a PRACTICAL conversation – about how to live a calmer, easier and happier life.
Listen to Robin and Bec talk about making friends as a grown-up, here:
Between us, Rob and I have six kids, three dogs and two households teeming with chaos. While our lives and some of our philosophies are polar opposite (she’s a single mum of three teenage boys and I’m married with three little kids) – we struggle with the same issues: getting enough sleep, handling all the clutter in our homes, the vice-like grip technology has on our households, unpacking our relationships with food (I’m typing this eating peanut butter out of the jar), and our ongoing search to create deeper connections with our kids, our friends and our loved ones.
And where better place to start than with friendship?
Happiness experts will tell you that our relationships (or social ties) are the foundation to a happy life. Friends offer us comfort, understanding, companionship and someone to confide in and turn to in times of distress. There’s plenty of research out there now to say that positive close friendships are good for our health to the point they can even help us live longer.
The girls from Girls know what a good female friendship is.
Top Comments
I ended a friendship of 30+ years not long ago. We had been friends since we were kids at school. I felt drained and depressed whenever I talked to her, which was at least weekly, sometimes more often and usually for hours at a time. She had a lot of problems and in hindsight needed professional help, and I felt guilty when I tried to pull away and make our contact less frequent. This made her cling on harder and the whole situation was sad for both of us. I feel such relief that she is not taking up so much of my time and energy. I ended up feeling I had nothing left to give her and resenting the time she demanded from me. I still feel a bit guilty 2 years later, but I would never go back. My life is so much happier without her.
We move around a fair bit with work. My 2 kids are now teens so the old hanging out in the playground with other mums is long gone. Finding friends when you're older is such a hard thing to do. No one likes to be lonely and we all need to have a friend or 2 in our lives just to...well...just to do what women love to do...talk when you need to talk! Have someone to share stuff with. Grab a cuppa or a vino with and have a laugh. Hubbies usually find work buddies fill that space for them, but for the mums/ partners it's a real struggle. I have to admit that sometimes its been beggars can't be choosers for me and I have put up with a toxic "friend". Looking back now I realise I'd have been better off lonely. So I'm really looking forward to listening in to these 2 great chicks and picking up some essential tips along the way.