Socialising is great. Making hundreds of friends is not a big deal, but the irony is that there comes a time when none of the hundred friends have time to spend with you. Right now you might be having your summer holidays and you are bored because you cannot meet your friends. You are on your own most of the time, and you are bored.

But why are you bored when you are with yourself? The point which I am trying to make is that you should enjoy your own company rather than only experience enjoyment when with your friends.

I personally don’t have a best friend because I have experienced that having only one friend makes your decisions and experiences limited. It’s only my perspective, since what I realises is that my friends give me advice, suggestions and warnings which are not very useful to me, since everyone’s situation and preferences are different. So, I have got a lot of friends, but not a single favourite. I used to depend on them a lot, which should not have been the case and this actually created difficulty for me.

There are times when your friend is not there to support you and then you need to motivate yourself on your own. It is also a very common experience that your friend might not be interested in you anymore and has friends they are closer to. Thus, when you want to turn to a friend for something — a little chat, some fun time together or just to enjoy their company, you might find no one around, or free to be with you.

Usually, friends are there to make you laugh, chuckle, or even just smile. What if they are not there when you need them the most, like I said earlier.

Therefore, a person should know how to enjoy his own company and how to pass that time creatively and happily. A person should know how he can make himself smile every day without anyone’s help.

I am a self-dependent person; I try to rely more on myself than on my friends, or at least those whom I can get least help from, so that I know when and who to turn to — which is myself. And I am always there for myself. It’s tough initially, but believe me friends, it really works out.

Moreover, don’t run after your friends if they have their own life and are just not that into yours. Just let them go if they have some other friend they want to be with. Don’t be scared of losing your support. If you start weeping in front of your friend and just start begging them to stay, it will not only make you miserable, but you will also lose self-respect.

Sometimes, your excessive dependency leads others to take advantage of you. And there you get dodged, so have a look inside yourself and try to be strong as an individual and believe that your life can be much happier than having seasonal friends.

Published in Dawn, Young World, June 24th, 2023