SHOW ME YOUR FRIENDS, AND

Design by Elliot Krippelz

There is a saying that goes, “Show me your friends, and I will show you your future.” Yet teens may not think about how their friends will impact them later in life and only focus on what is happening now. However, the people currently surrounding you can be influential, as our interactions may contribute to the adult we become after leaving high school.

When you first meet a lifelong friend, you may not know how deep the relationship will go. As we get to appreciate a person and spend time with them, a connection can form. However, a friend can also be unexpected, which is what freshman Ollie Fair experienced.

“I met my best friend in preschool, and it is a funny story because [we were not close] for most of my childhood,” Fair said. “Then, we met back up in middle school, and I realized [who she was]. We became close, and now she is my best friend.”

No matter when you meet a friend, that friend can impact your life.

“Friends act as our primary confidants, motivators, and activity partners in life,” practice manager Kyndal Sims said in an article from the Colorado-based Birch Psychology. “We bring them with us to the mall to go shopping, we call them during fights with our partners, and they cheer us on every post we make on social media. They are our gift in life, people not related to us by blood who are just as loyal.”

The loyalty of a true friend can go a long way, and Fair knows just how good that can feel.

“What makes someone your best friend is how they make you feel because it is good if they make you feel supported, happy, in a safe environment and worthy of having friends,” Fair said. “For me, my best friend makes me feel supported, and I think she is the sweetest person once you get to know her. I see her as a sister.”

Friends can influence how you feel, but they can even help with motivation.

“When [my friend] and I hang out, we will work out together, which makes me want to work out more because I am with someone I like being around,” senior Vincent Van Dusen said.

Van Dusen also believes that friends can continue to shape his life in the future.

“It will make the activities more enjoyable because I will remember all the times we worked out or watched a movie together,” Van Dusen said. “I think it will also help me continue to do those activities in the future and find more friends who have those similar interests.”

Not only can friends continue

While you may not know your friend is hurting you until after something serious happens, the consequences of having negative friends can lead to unpleasant repercussions.

According to Nemours KidsHealth, a physician-reviewed source for information and advice on children’s health, “People may feel pressure to conform so they fit in or are accepted, or so they don’t feel awkward or uncomfortable. When people are unsure of what to do in a social situation, they naturally look to others for cues about what is and isn’t acceptable. The people who are most easily influenced will follow someone else’s lead first.”

When teens think of peer pressure, they probably think of it more negatively with a statement like, “Everyone else is doing it.” Peer pressure can influence