Happy National Best Friends Day!
June 8th is National Best Friends Day! Today is a day to celebrate your friendships and to show gratitude for the connections that you possess.
Friendships are so important to our overall well-being. Our friends might be near or far, old or new – but each of them holds an incredible role in our lives. Our friends are the family that we get to choose, and because of this, these people are often compatible with our interests and personalities.
Friendships can be difficult as well. We have to constantly work on our relationships not only through our childhood but in our adult relationships as well.
Healthy Friendships vs. Unhealthy Friendships
An important part of friendship is that you are there for each other for the “long haul” even when things aren’t fun. If someone is struggling through a difficult time such as the death of a family member, divorce, or some kind of mental health issue, friends are available to listen and support.
When fostering relationships, it is crucial that we are aware of what characteristics of healthy relationships are so we can also identify characteristics of unhealthy relationships. Some questions to ask yourself about your friendships are:
- Do you feel happy and comfortable when you are with your friends?
- Do you like how you feel about yourself when you are with them?
- Do you feel angry or resentful when you’ve spent time with certain people?
- Do your friends accept you just the way you are?
- How do your friends impact your decision-making?
- Have you ever felt pressured by a friend to do something you are uncomfortable with or something that you know is wrong?
While it’s important to choose friends that make us feel comfortable being our authentic selves, it is also important that we are also doing the work to make our friends feel comfortable being their authentic selves around us as well.
If you find yourself in a friendship that is unhealthy, it can be uncomfortable and even difficult to leave that relationship. It is better if this happens sooner rather than later. Having knowledge about what a healthy friendship looks like will help you early on when making choices about whom you will befriend. If you are struggling with leaving a friendship, go to other members of your support team for help.
Online Friendships
These might seem like skills that you can only implement with in-person friendships, but these are also skills that you can use in your online friendships. With the recent rise of social media and people being able to find their communities on online platforms, it is important that we use our relationship skills in this aspect of our relationships as well.
Celebrate National Best Friends Day!
We hope that you are able to wish your friends a “Happy National Best Friends Day” – whether that be your pet, your sibling, your parent, someone you met in elementary school, or someone that you met as an adult. Make sure that you let them know that you are thankful for their friendship and their support.
Rock Digi Teaches SEL Skills such as "Relationship Skills"
The Rock Digi online SEL curriculum used the CASEL Framework in the creation of its lessons, and one of those core competencies is “Relationship Skills.” Below are some lesson previews for lessons that teach students about relationship skills.
Mental Health, SEL, and Substance Abuse Prevention for Grades 7-12
"Real Friends" Lesson Preview:
SEL and Life Skills for Success for Grades 5-6
"Accepting Others" Lesson Preview:
SEL and Life Skills for Success for Grades 2-4
"Accepting Others" Lesson Preview: