Friendships are one of the cornerstones of our personal happiness. In studies, it has been shown that people with strong connections to others live healthier and happier lives. One of the most important things we can do to ensure our ideal future is to maintain the health of our friendships.
Many friendships can make this proposition tricky. You and your friends are not necessarily on parallel tracks in life. Sometimes you're closer, sometimes it's ok to feel further apart. However, when good friendships go bad, it can have a very damaging impact, not just on your social life, but on your overall happiness and performance in many areas of your life.
All relationships give off good and bad signals. Recognizing the warning signs, what we call Relationship Red Flags, can help you spot problem areas that need addressing. Sometimes seeing these signs early can help you dramatically improve the quality of a friendship; in other cases, you will be able to see when a relationship is no longer contributing to your happiness. When a friendship is no longer recoverable, it may be necessary to prune that relationship from your life.
Dr. Cloud will help you learn to spot the difference, and give you the actionable steps to take to ensure that your friendships are at their healthiest -- and what to do when they're not.
