Our relationships with other people matter. Friendly February is a great way to take the time to acknowledge our friendships and build our relationships. Investing in a healthy social support network is one of the best things we can do to enhance our own thriving. In schools, cultivating respectful relationships for all members of our community is essential.

Secure relationships tend to consist of kindness to self and others; a sense of belonging; humility, forgiveness, gratitude; authenticity and honesty. After analysing many studies on happiness over the last few decades, researchers have concluded that “like food and air, we seem to need social relationships to thrive” (Diener & Biswas-Diener 2008). The factor that distinguished the happiest 10 percent of people from everyone else was the strength of their social relationships (Diener & Seligman 2002). Social support and positive school relationships also provide a buffer in difficult times.

"Friendships multiply joy and divide grief.” – Swedish Proverb

“The only thing that really matters in life are your relationships to other people.” – George Vaillant

"People forget what you said and what you did. But they never forget how you made them feel" ~ Maya Angelou

So check out Action for Happiness' Friendly February calendar below (they are really quick, easy actions that can make a difference to our friendships) and join my conversation this Friday with Friendship expert Dana Kerford as we learn about "The Language of Friendship".

The Language of Friendship with Dana Kerford
Dana will be sharing about The Language of Friendship this Friday, February 14 at 3:30pm ADST / 2:30pm AEST. This conversation will be particularly helpful for Primary School Educators & educators who are passionate about wellbeing (e.g. Heads of Wellbeing, School Counsellors, PDHPE Teachers). Register now so that you can join us live or we can send you the replay. Register here >

Dana Kerford is a Teacher, Friendship Expert, and the Founder of URSTRONG, a social-emotional wellbeing program for kids.

Click to find out more about our Primary school incursions our Secondary school incursions or our Teacher Professional Development.

Sincerely,
Luke McKenna
Unleashing Personal Potential