{"id":12417,"date":"2019-08-22T18:29:53","date_gmt":"2019-08-22T23:29:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mentalhe180dev.wpenginepowered.com\/news\/why-healthy-friendships-are-important-for-mental-health\/"},"modified":"2025-10-13T08:32:39","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T13:32:39","slug":"why-healthy-friendships-are-important-for-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.grafik.mentalhealthfirstaid.org\/es\/news\/why-healthy-friendships-are-important-for-mental-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Healthy Friendships are Important for Mental Health"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Ethan Call\u2019s usually reliable friend didn\u2019t come to\nchurch services, he was worried and texted her. She responded that she was\nhaving a bad time and wanted to stay home. Knowing that she struggled with\nanxiety and depression, Ethan knew something was wrong and immediately went to\nsee her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe talked about what she was feeling. At the beginning, she\nwas reserved and uncomfortable, but as we listened nonjudgmentally, I could see\nin her body movement and the tone of her voice that she was more comfortable\nand more able to open up,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ethan was able to support his friend in her time of need and\nprovide resources for self-help and professional therapy. She started working\nwith a counselor and learned to manage her anxiety and depression better than she\nhad before. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ethan\u2019s story<\/a>\nis just one of many. There are thousands of First Aiders around the country\nusing their Mental Health First Aid training to provide support to their\nfriends. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can be hard to talk to family members about mental health.\nThat\u2019s why it\u2019s important to have healthy friendships to turn to in times of\nneed. Our friends can be that ear to talk to, shoulder to lean on and\nnonjudgmental perspective that we need. They can also help increase<\/a>\nour sense of belonging, improve our self-confidence and help reduce stress and\nanxiety. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, studies have shown<\/a> that \u201cthose\nwho enjoy close friendships over their teenage years have a lower rate of\ndepression or anxiety later in life.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Friendship is something you never outgrow. Older adults<\/a>\nwho are \u201cliving a socially active life and prioritizing social goals are\nassociated with higher late-life satisfaction.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

No matter how old you are or what you\u2019re going through,\nhealthy and close friendships encourage positive mental health and well-being. These\nfriends can celebrate with you through the good times in life and be there for\nyou through the bad. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re not sure how to support your friends through\ndifficult times,\ntake a Mental Health First Aid course<\/a>. Mental Health First Aid teaches you\nhow to identify and respond to mental health and substance use challenges, how\nto provide nonjudgmental support, and where to look for professional help. Like\nEthan, you can #BeTheDifference for your friends when they need it most. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Ethan Call\u2019s usually reliable friend didn\u2019t come to church services, he was worried and texted her. She responded that she was having a bad time and wanted to stay … Read more<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":12418,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"topic":[181],"news-type":[172],"class_list":["post-12417","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","topic-mhfa-training","news-type-blog"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhy Healthy Friendships are Important for Mental Health<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.grafik.mentalhealthfirstaid.org\/es\/news\/why-healthy-friendships-are-important-for-mental-health\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_MX\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Healthy Friendships are Important for Mental Health\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When Ethan Call\u2019s usually reliable friend didn\u2019t come to church services, he was worried and texted her. 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