Page 13 - Boca Exposure - April '25

Boca Exposure, Page 13
Healthy Answers – A Guide To Healthy Living:

‘What Are Friends For?’

By Dale Brown, B.S., Platforms like Facebook, Instagram and X are good As you age it becomes harder to make new friends and you
M.A., C.E.C. Dale is a examples of how social media inflates the idea of the may find you are no longer included in the circle of friends
motivational speaker importance of having hundreds, even thousands, of you once knew. This is the time when it is most important
who has spent many “friends” or followers. to make an effort to reach out, do the asking, make the call,
years as a Certified Life While social media helps people stay in touch across send a text. Don’t depend on other people to know you’re
Coach and has written distances it often prevents relationships from growing feeling left out and need some company. The key to keeping
numerous articles and deeper because it replaces face-to-face interactions with meaningful relationships during life’s transitions is to be
e-books relating to self- quick, digital check-ins. Many times, people post happy pro-active … by joining a club, networking with members
improvement and ways to moments in their lives, making their friendships appear of your community or reconnecting with old acquaintances.
build a high-performance more vibrant and fulfilling than they may actually be. Just What does it mean to be a “true” friend verses an
team. She is the author of because someone likes your post doesn’t mean they’d be acquaintance? This is someone who genuinely cares and is
the book, “Small Steps... there for you in the long run. honest with you, even when what is being said is hard to hear.
Big Changes: The Personal Stories of a Life Coach,” from Friendship itself is a complex subject. It comes and They show up when it matters, whether it’s celebrating your
which this month’s column is adapted. Her education and goes, and changes throughout your life depending on your success or supporting you in tough times. True friendship is
years of experience in physical fitness and training of age and gender. The way in which men handle friendship not always about you; both people have to invest time, energy
elite athletes has enabled her to sharpen her knowledge is much different than that of women. Men seem to and care. It goes both ways.
in many health-related areas. The following introduces a address conflict more directly or, in my husband’s case, With a “true” friend there is no jealousy or competition,
new approach to Ms. Brown’s series of columns devoted use humor to resolve an issue. I admire the way he’s able just happiness for your success without feeling envious of
to many topics that deal with the mind/body connection to “let things go” after having a difference of opinion your achievements. If a disagreement happens it doesn’t
and the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. Dale, with a buddy. Men are more apt to keep friendship over have to end the friendship. The best thing you can do is talk
a Bocaire resident, can be reached at dalebrown@ time, even with less contact in between, and are able to things out and make an effort to apologize and forgive when
lovingmondays.com. pick up where they left off. unfortunate situations happen. My husband and I often say,
If I were to ask you how many friends you think you Women differ from men because they become “We don’t need filters when we’re with “true friends.” This
have, what would your answer be? Most of us who live emotionally involved, getting hurt more easily when means we are comfortable, accepted and loved by them for
in communities feel like we have lots of friends. We trust is broken. It’s not unusual to see open gestures of who we are and vice versa. You don’t have to hold back
play golf, tennis, engage in like activities and surround hugging, holding hands or telling a friend, “I love you” words for fear you’ll be criticized or judged.
ourselves at a table of “friends” for dinner. We make small or, “I appreciate you.” Having a group of close-knit Friendship isn’t just about socializing. It’s one of the
talk, laugh and enjoy the comradery of being together, girlfriends who support one another is one of the joys most valuable relationships in life – bringing happiness,
but it is rare to pinpoint any one you might describe as a of womanhood. I speak for myself when I say, “There’s strength and a sense of belonging. It’s a lifeline for better
“true” friend. nothing better than carrying on with a gaggle of ladies mental, emotional and physical health. Investing in strong,
As humans, we have an innate capacity and a need for after a couple glasses of champagne!” meaningful connections can truly add years to your life and
close, emotional connections with others. It’s a known How we kindle friendship and keep the flame burning life to your years!
fact that positive social experiences impact a person’s in every phase of our life is the essence of not being
physical and mental health. The more social you are the lonely. Things evolve as you get older and you may not
more likely you are to be less stressed. On the flip side, connect with the same people you once did, nor do you
loneliness and social isolation have been linked to a have the same things in common. You may drift away
higher risk of illness. from just acquaintances and focus on deeper, more
We tend to use the word “friend” when referring to meaningful relationships. At times you may ask yourself,
many people in our social circle. In reality, there may be “What happened? We used to be such good friends and
very few “true” friends and many more acquaintances. now we barely pick up the phone or try to meet.”

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