Friends are an important aspect of life. A good friend is trustworthy, reliable, and shows mutual interest in building friendships. Having a solid group of friends who have similar interests or hobbies can improve mental well-being by knowing there is solidity and trust. 

Being surrounded by an uplifted environment can benefit mental health, but poor relationships and being surrounded by toxicity can take a toll and eventually can lead to stress, fatigue, or poor well-being. AP Psychology teacher Daleana McPherson stated, “Surrounding yourself with good friends is important because you want people to uplift you…You won’t feel alone, you’ll feel uplifted. Which is food for your self-esteem as well.” Being able to identify toxic surroundings and use communication skills to either help improve them or get out of them can benefit mental health greatly. 

Good and bad influences play a large role when it comes to large groups of friends. Friends are encouraging, but sometimes they can encourage bad behavior. Being surrounded by friends who are selfish or overly critical can lead to a massive influence on mental health. Constantly being surrounded by toxic behavior can eventually lead to a lot of stress and possibly even a negative self-image. 

Identifying bad versus good friends can sometimes be difficult, especially if the relationship has been strong for a long time. A few signs of a poor relationship include encouraging bad behavior, going out of the way to be degrading, selfishness, or not considering others’ boundaries in the friendship. Good friendships are meant to be uplifting and trusting. 

Communication is an important skill to have in friendships. Being able to communicate issues in relationships can benefit all people involved in the situation. Communication strengthens relationships and builds trust. Being able to properly discuss issues in the friendship can help to mend issues. 

Having poor communication skills can severely damage friendships. McPherson commented, “The best thing would be to find somebody you trust…be able to tell someone, and then you can kind of feel that release.” Faulty communication can lead to distrust, friends being guarded in conversations, and the inability to open up. Not being able to discuss problems properly can lead to misunderstandings leading to hurt feelings or even anger in the friendship. 

Surrounding yourself with a positive environment and being able to feel uplifted and safe within friendships is an extremely important part of having trust and being able to openly communicate issues in heated situations.