Self-care and friendship are the two most essential things in the world everyone should develop to achieve success in life and healthy well-being. However, self-care may affect your friendship in many ways. So, learning to balance the two is vital to your health and social relationships.

But does self-care really affect your friendship? Or is friendship affecting self-care? Keep reading to learn more about how self-care influences friendship and what to do to live a balanced life!

What Is Self-Care

Self-care is a habit or process individuals incorporate into their daily life to improve or maintain their mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health. You can also do self-care by practicing activities that promote prevention and recovery from illnesses.

From eating nutritious foods and exercising to getting enough sleep and recreational activities, self-care is a must to achieve a healthy, happy, and balanced life. Nonetheless, too much self-care can result in toxic habits that kill friendships.

So, How Does Self-Care Actually Affects Friendship?

As the saying goes, too much of anything isn’t ideal for anyone. The same goes for self-care since it can lead to toxic habits that may affect your friendship. For instance, if you have a strict self-care routine, such as sticking to a diet, you may seem too picky or needy if you eat out with your friends who don’t share the same lifestyle as yours.

Another detrimental habit to friendship caused by self-care is being too busy, often forgetting to have time with people around you or even returning their calls. As a result, you tend to isolate yourself, which can lead to loneliness or depression, and your friends will think you have disappeared from their life.

Most importantly, too much self-care may cause you to miss out on many things, such as forgetting your friend’s birthday or helping them when they need your emotional support. Then, when you need your friends, they may have lost connection with you.

When Is Self-Care Necessary

Although self-care may affect friendship in some ways, it is still necessary under certain circumstances. For example, if you have a friend who is too needy and rude, you should set your boundaries straight to avoid being bullied and abused.

In some cases, you may also encounter a friend who is envious of others’ success and achievements. If their behavior is affecting your mental and emotional health, it is time for you to decide whether to keep your friendship or completely cut them off from your life.

On the other hand, if your friend is emotionally unstable, shutting them off from your life may not be necessary if you can support them. Instead, you can help them while setting your boundaries.

Self-Care Affects Friendship: Why Balance Benefits You

Considering that self-care and friendship are interrelated, learning how to balance the two will benefit you. But how do you balance self-care to maintain good relationships? The answer is simple. Avoid too much self-care as it promotes perfectionism, which leads to a workaholic lifestyle that is toxic to relationships.

Final Thoughts

Overall, self-care is a good thing as long as you manage it properly. You can also maintain a good relationship with your friends by avoiding a workaholic lifestyle and knowing when to take a break and prioritize things that matter most.

Remember, everyone handles emotions and relationships differently. So choosing between self-care and friendship all depends on you!