Effects of Friends and Self Esteem
No man is an island, the world we live in is vast with countless people sharing countless memories and experiences with one another. We have troubles, we have doubts, and we also all believe in ourselves to a vast variety of extents.
Self-esteem is usually something you build up (unfortunately sometimes destroy) on your own. But friends also have quite profound effects on your self-esteem, on how you value yourself.
1. They Believe in You
A friend will believe in you and what you are capable of. He/she values you even if you yourself believe you are not that important. A friend will support you, be with you through thick and thin and believe in you every step of the way. Your friend will complement you, acknowledge you, keep you going when you feel that you can't go through anymore.
If over time you notice someone else believing in what you are capable of, in who you are, then you will feel compelled to return the favor by maybe believing in them as well. But you cannot value someone else if you do not value yourself in the first place. On that note, you will add self-worth to yourself because of the worth someone else had for you.
2. They Trust You
Friends put their trust on you, they are confident that you will be able to accomplish whatever they ask you to do (as a favor). They will not constantly check on you, they will not nag or call every five seconds because they trust you (this could vary depending on the personalities of you and your friends but in general, this is the situation).
They trust you and because of that, you will come to trust yourself, you'll realize that if someone believes in you and trusts you, you'll see that maybe there is something in you worthy of being trusted. That will build your self-esteem and make you feel better about yourself.
3. They'll Defend You
A friend will stick by you in sickness and in health, through rich and through... ok maybe not that far, but a friend will be there, ready to defend you from people who are trying to push you down, trying to destroy whatever self-esteem you may have for yourself. They will try their best to be there and to counteract whatever someone else tries to throw at you.
They will be there when your self-esteem is about to be demolished into a thousand little pieces. If you have someone there to defend you, to be your knight in shining armor, you will be able to have the courage to stand up for yourself eventually, to realize that you are capable of doing things. Your self-esteem, no matter how small, can grow if you have someone there to make sure it isn't shattered before it can develop.
4. Comparison
I've talked of nothing but positives so far, but you can't talk about pros without at least going over the cons. There are times where jealousy can happen between friends, that you compare yourself to them and what you can't do compared to what they can do. This could lower your self-esteem as you may not seem good enough for yourself.
Though that con can be easily countered by a nice long talk with your friend, maybe they can even help you improve on what you lack. Friends are there to be your friends, you care for them, they care for you. So it's only natural that they will help you improve your self-esteem.
