So often romantic relationships are placed at a much higher level of importance than friendships
or as us Aussie’s like to call mateship. Our partners are of course incredibly important but when
the true value of mateship is lost, this can have tragic consequences which can include a sense of
emptiness. Fortunately it doesn’t take much reflection to get things back into perspective.

Research has shown that one important part of real happiness is the connection we have with
others outside of our romantic relationships. Without this, we are missing out on a central part of
what makes us human. So if we only spend time with our partner and don’t balancing this out with
friends or when single gradually losing connection with friends, you are likely to be feel less happy.

Friends are a wonderfully important part of our LGBTIQ lives. Many in our communities lose touch
with their biological families due to homophobia which can give them a sense of not having a ‘safety
net’ when things go wrong in life. The fabulous thing is that when we put a lot of energy into our
friendships they can be extremely deep, lifelong, emotionally intimate, comforting and also provide
that sense of a safety net.

Many people lose friendships due to something as silly as a misunderstanding or some sort of
conflict. The reality is that once you have experienced conflict with a friend and you then
reconnect, the relationship is usually even stronger. If you are afraid of conflict or your ‘pride’
gets in the way of communicating with them, you could potentially lose one of the most valuable
resources in life.

Mateship is a great part of our culture and we can only benefit enormously when we stop taking our
friendships for granted and make sure we do what we can to keep nurturing them.