Hanging out with friends gets real tricky when there is feelings someone outside of the relationship has towards one of you. Sure, your relationship may have been built on friendship, and you may all feel like family, but being everyone for someone can feel really weighing.
While replacing friends for the sake of filling an unmet need is unhealthy, having friends outside of marriage is not just important, but healthy-and it is not just for you. Friends fill essential needs partners might not, so having great friends really supports a relationship. Having friends of your own-in addition to the ones that are shared-helps both you and your partner remain plugged into an awesome community.
As we try to recognize and enhance that connection to family, having intimate friends may help. Having a support network of family and friends also helps us be positive when going through daily life. Supportive friends can help you to feel more confident, offering praise and reassurance when you are feeling uncertain.
You might not be friends with every person you meet, but maintaining an approachable attitude can help you better relationships throughout your life, as well as plant seeds for friendships with new acquaintances. If you become friends with people who are generous with their time, helpful to others, or ambitious or family-oriented, you are likely to cultivate these values yourself. Investing time to be friends with people, and strengthening friendships, can pay off with better health and a brighter outlook for years to come.
If you are going through a tough time, having friends who will be there for you during this transition will help smooth things over. Marriage is not always easy, but having a friend-or the couple-to call upon when times get tough can help each of you stay on the right path.
No matter how long you have been married, you should keep in mind that having friends outside of your house does not make us selfish, nor does it cause us to neglect your marriage. Having friends outside your marriage gives you a way to explore things of particular interest. Having a life outside your relationship means that you are pursuing a passion that is not contingent upon having a partner, and cultivating your own circle of friends who are not a part of the couples activities.
When you abandon friends, hobbies, and habits in order to devote more time to your partner, you are taking away what draws them to you. As time goes by, you stop spending as much time with friends and family, your texting habits get worse, and before you know it, you are living the life of a recluse – even with the other person around. Even if you awaken one day realizing that you are not happy with your partner, you are going to find it harder to go out knowing you are isolating yourself from family and friends.
You may be happily bounced around your partner, but if you start feeling that you are neglecting your friends and family, it is time for a conversation. It is okay to talk deeply to friends about life, fears, new ventures in your career, etc. But it gets touchier when you are always looking for emotional comfort and/or complaining about your relationship.
There are innumerable reasons you should never forget your friends while you are in a relationship, and a new survey proves why making time for your friends while in a relationship is important to both your personal well-being and the well-being of the relationship. Spending time with friends when you are not married with your spouse can be refreshing and a change of pace, but it is also important to acknowledge the potential dangers that this can pose for your marriage.
Friends and romantic relationships are both important aspects of our lives, but finding a balance-especially at first-is difficult. Even when most of us are involved in romantic relationships, it is important that we build and keep good, lasting friendships. These friendships feed and assist us by filling us out psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually, in order that we are not left with any shortages or needs within the relationship that we are engaged in. Good friends offer models of healthy relationships, which you can discuss with your spouse and apply to your core relationships.
