World Mental Health Day: Spotlight on Friendships
October 10, 2025 is World Mental Health Day, providing all of us an opportunity to stop and reflect on our current mental health, what contributes to it flourishing and how to protect against setbacks. As for my corner of the world supporting healthy and loving relationships, I’d like to pause and dedicate a moment to friendships.
A brief history first: World Mental Health Day, according to World Mental Health, was started in 1992 with a mission to “Improv[e] the Quality of Mental Health Services throughout the World.” This day is one of many avenues that allow for open conversation in the field and community about some of the most personal topics for us all.
Each year, there is a different theme and even within those themes, providers and participants are invited to share their experiences, insights and questions to the broader mental health community.
This year, I’ve been reflecting a lot on friendships and how they hold us.
According to the APA, there is a plethora of research supporting the science of why friendship is so important. From reducing isolation, to promoting heart health and even protecting against early death, researchers and experts agree that quality friendships are a hugely protective factor in one’s mental health.
In the US especially, we place great importance on romantic relationships, which certainly are valuable. Sometimes, however, this focus (in combination with societal norms that place the individual/individual family unit above all else) puts friendships on the back-burner.
Zooming out, it’s intuitively clear why prioritizing friendships is so critical. Every other relationship in our lives may be complicated by some degree of interdependence or obligation, but a good friend chooses you out of all the people in the world, for no other reason than that they love you for who you are.
Of course, this isn’t to discount unhealthy friendship dynamics which absolutely do surface. However, at a baseline, a healthy friendship, in some ways, may be considered more unencumbered than any other relationship in life.
You may be reading this and feeling discouraged or sad, thinking you don’t have enough friends or close enough friends. This is a common feeling and absolutely resolvable over time. Close friendships take time to build trust and identify compatibility - try starting small by joining a new club or activity and go in without pressure to make a friend, but rather excitement for any small connection. Allow friendship to grow organically by putting in incremental effort with people you feel comfortable with. The good news is, you really only need 1-2 good friends with whom you can truly be yourself. The research points to quality far over quantity when assessing for the impacts discussed earlier.
If you’re feeling alone and not sure where to start, therapy may be a support to you as well. In therapy you might get help navigating social anxiety, underlying trauma that may be inhibiting your ability to connect with others, or depression as a result of feelings of isolation.
Take a few moments to appreciate a friend today or take a small step toward making a new one!
If you are in need of support, you can always reach out to schedule a complimentary consultation and understand your options.
The content of this blog is for education purposes only and is not therapy or advice. Reach out to a licensed professional for specific support or call 911 if you are having a mental health crisis.
