Why Do Friends Drift Apart?
Launch the media gallery 1 playerIt’s hard to imagine when you’re ten years old that the people you spend all your recess time with might not be your best friends forever. As people mature and change, sometimes the people they associate with most changes too. Nearly everyone loses friends sometime over their high school career, whether they want to admit it or not.
It may seem sad, but it isn’t always a terrible thing. I think one of the reasons people lose friends during this period is because people start to figure out who they are and who they want to be. At the same time, they are developing new interests and meeting new people. Sometimes, as a natural consequence of growing up, groups of people who have been close for years, gradually begin to drift apart.
People often start drifting apart as their interests change. This can have an effect of how they view the people around them. They might not enjoy the same activities as their friends, or they might participate in totally different extracurricular clubs and sports and never see each other, causing them to drift apart.
People also change. High school is a place where new activities are offered, peer pressure is present, and dating occurs. High school changes everyone whether they realize it or not. Peer pressure is a big part of people changing. Sometimes it can be a good thing, other times the complete opposite. I know it may sound weird, but for the average teenager, dating could also split up friends. Suddenly, someone may be spending more time with a significant other than the rest of the friend circle.
Losing close friends throughout high school is almost inevitable, but that doesn’t mean you don’t pick up other new ones along the way. And it also doesn’t mean you can’t still have a friendly relationship with someone, even if you aren’t as close to them as you once were. Don’t dwell on drifting apart from close friends, and don’t let it deprive you of your high school experience. If you do, you might miss out on exciting new opportunities. So, go forth…make new friends and create new adventures!