Mental Health and Wellbeing

Friends

“There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.” Thomas Aquinas

Dear Families,

Friendship is such an important thing for us, particularly our children. Having friends is the best part of coming to school for many of our kids. There has been plenty of studies showing the link between friendship and happiness. 

Clinical Psychologist Andrew Fuller wrote about making friends, and here are a few things he had to say…

One way to be happier is to increase the quality of our friendships. Whether you are a

sociable person or a loner, friendships are important. One of the easiest ways to remain engaged and interested at school or in life is to enjoy the company of the people that we are with. Friendships are discovered. At first you are just talking to someone and then you realise you like one another and keep hanging out together. This means you can take on a quest to discover how many friends you can make. Whether you want heaps of friends or just one or two, let’s talk about how to begin the process of making friends.

Fuller suggests the following strategies to help…

• Look people in the eye
• Smile and say “Hello”
• Call people by their name – a lot
• Be where you are
• Feel lucky to know them
• Ask people what they think
• Get to know a lot of people
• Get to know people who are different
• Say “Hello” to people you don’t know. 

To read the full article, click here and navigate through Andrew Fuller’s website. 

“Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.” Helen Keller

Have a friendly week and continue to be kind.

Andy McNeilly

Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader