WARNING: THERE IS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE AND PARTIAL NUDITY IN THIS VIDEO! Plug in your headphones or take the little ones out of the room!
In my opinion, this episode of Sex and The City is one of the classics because it reminds us of the value of high quality friendships during challenging times. Sure, it’s fine to ignore the signs of a toxic friendship when you are just meeting for coffee on occasion, going shopping, sharing play dates and attending social events but what about when things get serious? Are the people in your life really committed to you? I hope the answer to this question is YES! The quality of your support group can contribute to a positive outcome under any circumstance…particularly illness and especially Breast Cancer. If your answer is NO, try to resolve this with your friends when all is well so you do not have to deal with additional disappointment when you are ill. Your support network matters before, during and after your experience with breast cancer and here’s why:
- In general, research has found that those who don’t have a good support system are at higher risk of serious health problems because being alone or isolated is as risky for your health as smoking or high blood pressure {this was news to me}.
- Friends are there for us when we need to talk about things which is so important, especially for women, because bottling up feelings and emotions can lead to a build up of stress {so it’s not that bad you talk so much}.
- A good group of friends can keep you energized and motivated {YEAH!}.
- Friends can help ward off depression, boost self-esteem, and raise your feeling of hope {so you are justified to see each other as much as you like!}.
There are many more health benefits to good friendships, but specifically for breast cancer patients good support groups lead to greater optimism, lower levels of stress, anxiety and depression and an overall improvement in their quality of life. On that note, give your friends a public THANK YOU! Write them a thank you below, letting them know why you’re thanking them and share it! I will happily be the first…
