When I was young, I remember my mom saying that there are certain times in life when you find out who your real friends are—when you move, when you get married/have a baby, when you are sick/hospitalized, when someone you love dearly passes, when you lose your job or face financial difficulty, etc. And, she was right.

I have faced many of the situations on the list above as well as others and each time I have found out who my true friends are. At times I have been genuinely surprised at the people who stuck by my side—people I never knew cared for me so deeply until I had nothing in that life season to offer them. Friends who visited me when I was so sick that I could barely sit up on my couch. During these same trials, I was shocked that those I held dear questioned my struggles, made inconsiderate comments or just ignored me altogether. Having weathered such seasons I can now say that though it is painful to realize those you so treasured are not who you believed they were, it is even more astonishingly beautiful to experience the kindness and goodness of the stellar human beings who are there for you “no matter what.”

If you are in a trying life season and finding out who your real friends are, I realize it can be painful and confusing. Or, maybe your life is just plugging along, but you have still been hurt by someone who backstabbed you or betrayed you in some manner. Whatever the case, relationships can be challenging. The ability to take regular inventory of your relationships including knowing what qualities to look for in others and being mindful of what you want from your relationships is an important life skill we all need. In the same vein, we also need to know how to set healthy boundaries and assert ourselves in our relationships in order to make them as successful as possible.

Whether you are in need of individual, couples’ or family counseling to address your life relationships a licensed Orlando mental health counselor can help you. Please contact Life Enhancement Counseling Services today at 407-443-8862 to begin your path to healing.