The Company We Keep
© 2013 GypsyJaguar
The people we spend our time around can have a significant influence on our moods, attitudes, choices we make, frames of mind, and energy levels. The more time we spend around someone, the higher the level of possible influence. Sometimes we may choose to adopt similar beliefs, mannerisms, or attitudes of some of the people we hang around, but more often than not, it happens gradually, by repetitive exposure, without us being consciously aware of the process.
We all end up meeting different people, throughout of lives, that just seem to raise our spirits or drain our energies. Some people we meet may captivate us, some may inspire us, some may confuse us or even anger us. Regardless of what emotions people elicit in us, they are affecting our mood in one way or another. If someone tips that scale too far to an extreme too often, it would clearly cause an overabundance of emotional strain on us, as well. We would ideally want to have a healthy balance of emotional exchanges with those around us.
The beliefs, morals, attitudes, and mindsets of others can also be subconsciously saturated into our own after constant exposure. Keeping a healthy balance of people of varying beliefs, views, cultures, and minds in your social circles is essential to challenging and expanding your own thoughts, perceptions, and belief systems. We also want to assure that we have some adequate time to ourselves to have the peace of mind to occasionally regroup and contemplate our own thoughts and views.
Paying attention to how people interact with and treat others, especially when they disagree with them, can often show you a great deal about the kind of person they are and how respectful they are to others. No matter how they seem on the surface, they are sure to eventually treat you the same way they treat others.
We need to surround ourselves with people who generally make us feel comfortable, safe, and free to be ourselves. Stick with those who are kind, compassionate, supportive, fair, respectful, and open-minded. If anybody refuses to respect your personal boundaries, beliefs, lifestyle, feelings, or individual views, they are not a healthy person to be around.
The company we keep reflects who we are. Many people we meet along the way are mirrors of ourselves who can teach us valuable lessons about ourselves and other people. There may be some who are only there to test our boundaries. Not everyone who comes into our lives are meant to stay.
When the time comes for you to part paths with someone, you usually drift away from each other gradually. You tend to communicate with them less. You may stop randomly running into each other in public. In some cases, your interests may become focused on different subjects than each other, sending you in different social directions. This often changes your circle of friends and acquaintances, as well as the locations you may frequent.
For those who are trying to actively change their lifestyles, whether it be breaking free of substance abuse, violent lifestyles, toxic relationships, or other unhealthy ways of living, changing your social circles and habitual hangouts are a necessity. You may have some hard work ahead of you before things start to flow more naturally, but the sooner you get the ball rolling, the easier it will be on everyone involved.
Observe how balanced your relationships are. See that you are getting something out of the interactions you are putting the most into. Be sure not to spread yourself too thin. We only really need a small circle of friends and loved-ones around us. When we keep our circle small, we are able to form deeper relationships with those we love, trust, and admire.
Also see:
Social Savvy - The People Around Us and What They Can Teach Us - Body Language - The Tell-Tale Walk - The Company We Keep - A Bit of Advice - A Matter of Perspective - Being A Good Friend - How To Truly Help Others - Courtesy and Respect - Nice Is Not Always Kind - End the Drama Once and For All - Toxic Relationships
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