Hey everyone and welcome back to another month of Kim’s Monthly Motivations! In this article, I will be discussing the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people, and how doing this can drastically improve your life: especially your mental health!

——————————————————————————————-

Quote of the Month:

“Letting toxic people go is not an act of cruelty. It’s an act of self-care.”-HealthyPlace.com

——————————————————————————————-

Are They Truly a Good Friend?: 

In order to fully explain the importance of surrounding yourself with good people, it would first be helpful to explain how to identify when someone could be bringing you down, or not being a good friend. 

Ask yourself these questions when deciding: 

-Do I constantly feel down, exhausted, angered, or upset after having interactions with this friend?

-Do I feel like the friendship is one sided? 

-Do I feel like the second option? 

-Do I feel like my mental health begins to get worse whenever I am around this person?

If the answer is yes to any of these questions, actions need to be taken. Whether this is trying to communicate with your friend or taking a little space to focus on yourself, attempting to solve the problem is key. 

Also remember that…

-Friends should not only talk to you when it’s convenient for them. A “friend” doesn’t only text you when they need chemistry or math answers. If you constantly have to give and give to them, without getting anything back, they aren’t truly a real friend. 

-Feeling like a second option, that you’re being replaced, or that you aren’t good enough are huge red flags. Friends would be there for you,  make you feel included and wouldn’t turn their back so easily on you. 

-If you constantly feel like they don’t care about how you are doing, or they want everything to be about them, that could be mentally draining. Don’t let someone drain you, hurt any mental health progress you made, or bring you to a negative mindset.

——————————————————————————————-

The Importance of Surrounding Yourself with the Right People:

Friends play an important role in our lives. They influence our every move. Think about a club you are in right now, and why you joined it. There is a 99% chance one of your friends is in that club with you, and together you decided to participate in it. As teenagers, our friends are who influence our development as people and their mood directly affects ours. With that being said, being around a “friend” who constantly puts you down, doesn’t stand by your side, or fully uses you causes trust issues, insecurities, and many other lifelong issues. 

From personal experience, I’ve had many friendships in which I felt like the second option, and the person replaced me so easily. This abandonment left me wondering, “Why am I not good enough?” or “Is there something wrong with me?” We tend to blame ourselves for other people’s faults, especially when we care about them and don’t want to see them in a negative light. 

In addition, I have also had friends who would always label themselves as “straightforward” when in reality they would use this term as an excuse to say whatever they wanted. Having friends like this has made me even insecure to this day about the same things. Comments, especially from someone who means so much to you, stays in your mind forever, even if it seems like a normal thing to them. 

So, it is important to surround yourself with the right friends because if you don’t, you can literally become the worst version of yourself. In order to look back on your life and truly feel fulfilled, it is important to truly love yourself and find people who emphasize that happiness! 

——————————————————————————————-

Wrap-up:

This month’s article is definitely a bit shorter, but this topic is very important and deserves special attention. Remember to spend this month associating yourself with the RIGHT people and taking care of yourself, even if that means taking some alone time (the importance of alone time was in my last article, how convenient!) Well, until next month! See you all in June!  🙂