F.R.I.E.N.D.S is a popular American television sitcom that premiered in the early 90’s. The show lasted ten seasons and showed us how three young men and three young women embrace love, challenges and life. F.R.I.E.N.D.S can teach us life lessons. Whether you’re shy, awkward, outgoing or confident, you’ll be able to relate to at least one character. I feel that every college student should take the time to watch this show before they fully embrace the real world.
1. It teaches you to stay true to yourself.
In the very first episode, one of the characters, Rachel Green, decides to back out of her wedding and is very stressed that she now has to embrace life on her own. She had to learn how to be fully independent and leave her childish ways behind. Although Rachel was terrified of being on her own, she decided to start her life over and it’s amazing to see her growth throughout all ten seasons. Live your life for you and learn to embrace everything life has to offer. Being on your own is scary, but what makes it manageable is making decisions best for you and doing what makes you happy
2. It shows you how to deal with heartbreak
There is no doubt that we will each experience heartbreak in our lives. Whether your someone who doesn’t want to settle down like Joey, or you can’t decide whether Rachel and Ross were on a break, every character has had their heart broken at one point on the show, and they’ve all dealt with it in different ways. Some people may agree or disagree with the way certain characters dealt with their pain, but something to take away from the show is that every character did get through it. They grew from their pain, they ended up falling in love again and, at the end of the day, they ended up being alright. Dating in college can be very stressful. There is so much pressure to settle down and find the one, but Friends shows us that life doesn’t always work out the way we plan. And that’s okay. They made it through the storm and so can we.
3. It teaches you to stay positive.
Life is unpredictable, challenging and full of obstacles. Everyone is going to experience grief, loss, loneliness and pain. You may lose your job, you may fail a test, you may not get the house you want, or that boy may never text you back. In F.R.I.E.N.D.S. case, every character responded to their pain differently, but what stuck out to me was the end result. They didn’t give up when they felt like life let them down. They held onto each other and remained faithful. Our lives can change quickly and without warning. We won’t always be prepared for every trial. The most important thing we can do is take it one day at a time. Something better is always in store for us whether we realize it or not.
4. It shows us the importance of having a good support system and the value of friendship.
Having a support system in our lives is extremely important. We need people who will celebrate with us, cry with us, help lift us up and call us out lovingly when we do something out of line. Every character in F.R.I.E.N.D.S loved each other through heartbreaking times, celebrated their accomplishments together and always came back together after a disagreement. They didn’t always agree or see eye to eye on certain things, but they always had each other’s back.
5. It teaches you to grow
No character at the end of the show was the same person they started as in episode one. Each character’s trials taught them serious life lessons and helped shape them into the people they were meant to be. As young adults, life won’t always give us second chances. We have to learn to take responsibility for ourselves and learn that we will never be perfect. A huge part of adulthood is realizing that we can always work harder, be kinder, be more respectful and learn to reach our full potential. The show gave us a chance to see that.
6. It prepares you for life
It may be an older show, but certain values and lessons never change. Some of you reading this are college freshmen. Some of you are halfway done with your college career. Some of you are in your last year of school. We can see that each character is trying to figure out their career, love life and, most importantly, themselves. It is safe to say that the majority of us are in that place right now. Most of us are just trying to figure life out, taking it one day at a time. We make mistakes. We fall in love. We reach our goals–we are trying to live and learn. This show makes life more relatable and going through life is much easier when you have something to help guide you.
If you take the time to stop and observe the people around you, you’ll see a different character from the show. You’ll see a Monica. You’ll see a Ross. You’ll see a Chandler. You’ll see a Rachel. Maybe you’ll even see a mix of multiple characters. While watching, we have seen these characters cry, mourn, laugh and grow. So, when it hasn’t been your day, your week, your month, or your year, channel your inner F.R.I.E.N.D.S character and realize that everything will be okay.
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