It is often the case that you will have several different friends, who all play a different role in your life. Some friendships are supportive, and others are about hanging out, and banter, and not about sharing how you’re feeling.
That’s OK. Some friends you may be in touch with every day, online or in real life, and other friends you may speak to less regularly. This is OK. Friendship is about communicating and connecting when it works well for you both.
Similarly, friends may offer you advice, share your interests, make you laugh, or even sometimes make you cry. The important thing is that your friends don’t judge you or make you feel bad about who you are. Friends accept you for who you are as well as challenge you in ways that help you grow.
Friendship is a two-way street, and you need to make sure that you support, challenge, help, and enjoy spending time with your friends as much as they do for you. If you find that you always feel drained, upset, or bad about yourself after you have spent time with friends then it may be time to reconsider that friendship.
Peer Pressure:
There may be times you don’t feel uncomfortable joining in with friends if they are doing something you don’t want to do. Many people find themselves in these situations and it is important to say how you feel and that you do not want to join in. If you feel pressure from your friends and persistence to get you to take part, such as drinking alcohol, etc, you can talk to a trusted adult who makes you feel safe. You can also talk to professional services about how you feel and any risk that might be involved. You may feel worried that you will lose your friends by not taking part, or feel left out, however, good friends will not make you feel uncomfortable or pressured into doing anything you do not want to do. Your feelings are valid and should be accepted.
Getting along with others is not always easy, even if they are friends or family members.
If you are being bullied then that can cause lots of unhappiness, stress, and anxiety and you might feel isolated and lonely. Bullying might take place at school, clubs, or work and can even happen online via messaging, social networking, and gaming. This is known as cyber-bullying. Bullying can be when people hurt you physically, say nasty things, or post comments online. Bullying can be anything that hurts or upsets you and makes you feel sad or lonely.
