Growing up, it can feel like you’re supposed to have one perfect friend group that does everything together—school, social events, hobbies, and every part of your life. But that is actually not the case. In fact, it is beneficial to have different friends who enjoy doing different things. Having different friends for different parts of your life doesn’t mean you’re fake, disloyal, or doing something wrong. It just means that you have balance in your life. Not every friend will understand your crazy dance schedule, and that’s okay!
Different Friends Meet Different Needs
Your dance friends will understand being sore, late-night rehearsals, and crying over where you were placed in a dance. School friends will understand being overwhelmed by studying, getting to laugh together in class, and going to fun school events. Neither friendship means any less just because they aren’t the same. They just serve different purposes in different areas of your life, and that is more than okay.
Dance is a World Not Everyone Lives In
Dance is time-consuming, emotional, and hard. Not everyone will fully understand what it is like to be a dancer, and they don’t need to. Just like a volleyball player can’t expect you to fully understand their life. This doesn’t mean your non-dance friends don’t care about that part of your life. They just can’t relate to it.
It Takes Pressure off Every Friendship
When you have certain expectations for a friend to fit every need and want you have, it often leads to disappointment. It is unrealistic to expect one person to meet all of those standards. Having different friends for different things takes some of that weight off everybody’s shoulders. Friendships should be enjoyable and fun!
This Skill Will Help You for Life
Learning how to navigate different friendships and relationships in your life is something that you can carry with you no matter how old you are, where you live, or what stage of life you are in. Friends are a gift we can cherish and treasure in our lives, but it is important to know how to keep a healthy friendship. Understanding this early helps you build healthier relationships without guilt or comparison.
