Theme
Natural Selections
What matters more in life than loving relationships? And who matters more than those who love and support you.. consistently... and unconditionally?
To Do
Take a deep breath, and quietly reflect on your current relationships and their effects on all involved. Then start pruning as needed. This may not be the pleasantest or easiest of tasks, but it will enable your friendship garden to flourish
Nourish Yourself
Give a loving nod to a dear one no longer present by dining on a dish that reminds you of him or her... better yet, share it with someone who will appreciate it too
Get Up & Go!
Enjoy engaging in an activity you used to love doing and that brings back fond memories of a loved one from the past, and invite someone special to share the experience with you.... perhaps before or after that meal you just shared!
Tools
Believe it or not what is often most helpful in this case is to talk to one of your closest friends with whom you share the healthiest relationship and get her perspective on anyone you fear may not be a positive influence in your life. There is a good chance your friend will cite an example right off the bat
Tip
Be gently honest with yourself while considering your relationships. Love yourself enough to do what is healthiest for you... and the other party
This can help the process: http://www.thefriendshipblog.com/blog/friends-almost-sisters-almost-strangers-1
Tweak
Start the process... it will truly be good for all involved
Question
How can you improve at cultivating an pruning relationships? What friendships have you allowed to go on too long in the past?
Thought
(Rather blunt, but...) : “There’s no need to miss someone from your past- There’s a reason they didn’t make it to your future” – Unknown
Tidbit
“In the quest for better health, many people turn to doctors, self-help books or herbal supplements. But they overlook a powerful weapon that could help them fight illness and depression, speed recovery, slow aging and prolong life: their friends.
Researchers are only now starting to pay attention to the importance of friendship and social networks in overall health.” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/21/health/21well.html
....Thanks Facebook
(per la diva latina magazine):
Hours/week men spend with friends: 10
Hours/week women spend with friends: 7.5
Having friends helps you live longer.
In one study, those who had the most friends over a 9-year period cut their risk of death by more than 60%.
Friendship is good medicine.
Dr. Dean Ornish, a pioneer in reversing heart disease, notes that no other factor in medicine - ''not diet, not smoking, not exercise, not stress, not genetics, not drugs, not surgery - has a greater effect on how often we get sick than the healing power of love.''
In one study, women saw “volunteer friends” regularly throughout the year. 72 % had a remission in depression. That's about the same success rate as antidepressants.
Friends are good for your heart and soul.
People with a strong social network are more likely to survive a major illness such as a heart attack or cancer. Human companionship can also help reduce the effects of stress on the body, protect against illness, and help us heal when we do get sick.They're also less susceptible to chronic illnesses such as heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease and arthritis.
Smoking, obesity and loneliness
The famed Nurses' Health Study from Harvard Medical School was so significant, the researchers concluded, that not having close friends was as detrimental to your
health as smoking or carrying extra weight.
You will go through 396 friends in a lifetime but will have only 33 at any one time.
Source: flatrock.org
Studies show unequivocally that it's the friendship part of marriage that makes marriage last.
Best friends annoy each other less as they age.
Source: Michigan Daily Online
Modern friendship - the Silent Friend
Very rarely do they speak on the phone, and they are even less likely to meet face to face. One in 3 people admit they have "silent friends" and say they make contact with them up to 4 times a day.
Source: microsoft.com
The Science of FriendshipThe many factors that influence an individual’s fate to meet an acquaintance and decide to become a friend are impossible to capture, but physicists have done it anyway and “with near precision”.
“The idea behind our model, though simple, is different from the usual paradigmatic approaches,” Gonzalez told PhysOrg.com. “We consider a system of mobile agents
(students), which at the beginning have no acquaintances; by moving in a continuous space they collide with each other, forming their friendships.”
Using physical science to understand human interactions? Well, it was Social Statistics that guided the development of the kinetic theory of gases....
Source: physorg.com
Treat
Contact a beloved friend whom you’ve neglected -- it will make their day
Blogs & Articles
Letting Go of a Relationship that Stresses You: http://stress.about.com/od/relationships/ss/letting_go.htm
In Sum
Everyone deserves sincere, supportive, unselfish nurturing friends.... even you <3
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