Almost nothing is more important to a teenager than her friends. Oftentimes friends can either make or break a girl’s school and adolescent experiences. For most teen girls, being accepted by peers is incredibly important and is a major part of their developing mental health. Finding a group of peers who accept her can be integral to a girl’s self-esteem and development. Likewise, friend groups can either encourage recovery or reinforce unhealthy behaviors. Navigating friendships alongside your daughter during her recovery is important for maintaining sobriety and fostering long-term success.
When your daughter starts her journey in recovery, she may find it difficult to know the next steps forward. Clearview believes that it is important for parents to be involved in their daughter’s life and care. Monitoring her friendships isn’t about control, but instead is about providing the support she needs to get better. If your daughter can find friends who encourage her health and recovery journey, this will benefit her in the long run.
The Importance of Friendships for Teens
Being accepted by their peers is very important to teenagers. During the tumultuous time of adolescence, they are developing their sense of self and finding where they fit into the world. This process helps them develop self-awareness and self-esteem. Because of this, the perception of rejection can be very difficult for teenagers to endure. This is why teens need to find healthy friendships in which they feel accepted and can engage in healthy activities.
A newsletter published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) states that “People do tend to choose friends who are similar to them. You also become more like your friends over time. And that can influence your health.” While we want to be near people who are like us, we also tend to become like the people we associate with. This is a natural way our social desires work, but it also means it is important to find people who represent where we want our lives to go.
If your daughter wants to turn her focus toward a better life and recovery, she needs to find friends who will support that. If the friends she had in the past encouraged unhealthy habits and routines, she may need to move toward healthier people. This is where you as the parent can lend support on her journey of navigating friendships.
Navigating Friendships and Assisting Your Daughter
Your daughter may not want you involved in her social life, but when she is in recovery, you must support her in these ways. Showing her support will model to her what kind of connections should be important in her life. As the parent, you will have worked alongside your daughter in treatment and therapy, and you can be a great resource for maintaining her recovery.
Sometimes when students come home from our program, they slip back immediately into old habits with old friends. Guidance from you can remind your daughter about the path she has chosen and how to maintain it. It is important to encourage your daughter to maintain connections to healthy individuals and keep attending therapy or alumni group meetings. At Clearview Horizon Girls Academy, we believe that when your daughter surrounds herself with healthy people, this will help to keep her on track.
It’s About Care, Not Control
It may feel like you are overstepping when you help to manage your daughter’s friends. However, you are not doing this out of control. You are doing it out of care for your daughter’s long-term well-being. Monitoring who your daughter engages with and encouraging her to make better and healthier choices will ensure lasting recovery. Encouraging her to hang out with healthier people will remind her of her worth and her goals. Although it may be uncomfortable, helping her avoid people who harm her will benefit her in the long run.
Navigating Friendships for Long-Term Recovery
Finding friends who support mental health is important for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Learning to maintain healthy relationships will benefit her for her whole life. The benefits will extend to future relationships, dating, and family interactions. Knowing how to assist her in developing healthy relationships will set her up for success. This will not just encourage her recovery, but her self-worth as well.
Your teenager needs to know that she deserves the best kinds of friendships and company. This knowledge will encourage her to treat herself better. Many mental health struggles and addictions can lead to struggling within herself. Yet, when she has people around her who encourage healing and positivity, this can make her an overall healthier person. The long-term goal of any treatment for mental health and addiction is to maintain recovery and work toward a healthier life. If she is seeking healthier people to associate with, she in turn will become healthier.
Friendships are one of the most important relationships for your teenage daughter. It is important that as a parent you support your daughter in having healthy friends. You can help her find people who will keep her on the path to recovery. After treatment, if your teenager immediately falls back in line with friends who have encouraged harmful behavior in the past, she will struggle in her recovery. Managing and monitoring your daughter’s social connections her will set her up for success as she moves toward a healthier lifestyle. If you want assistance in helping your daughter find and maintain healthier friends, Clearview can help. Get in touch with us today at 866-584-4788.
