Finding your platonic soulmates rarely looks like how it does in "Friends." The strength of the friendships you build in emerging adulthood, especially in college, weighs heavily on the people you chose to surround yourself with. Finding a core group of people who love and support you can be hard, as we all shift through different friend groups until we find where we belong. Here are the signs you've found the right place.
1. You genuinely like being around these people.
For those of us who are not a "people person," finding people you genuinely like to be around for long periods of time isn't always easy. There may be the surface-level friends we like to make small talk with, or the convenient friends who are only around at certain times, but finding someone you could spend 12 hours without killing is an accomplishment for most of us.
2. These people genuinely like being around you too.
Whether you're a people person or not, finding someone who can spend 12 hours with you without killing you is also an accomplishment. You know you've found the right friend group when they appreciate your presence just as much as you appreciate theirs.
3. You can go to them for literally anything.
Whether you need help on your final paper, ran out of paper towels, or got your heart broken, any one of those in your friend group you can absolutely go to for help. No matter what, they are always there for you, for the good times and the bad.
4. And they know you'd do the same for them.
Having good friends to go to for advice, comfort, or just to talk about life, is of immeasurable value. A give and take friendship is incredibly healthy and rewarding. You get back what you put into the friendship, and it only makes the connection stronger.
5. You don't have to talk constantly.
While new friendships tend to rely on constant communication to become close and really get to know each other, solid friendships don't require that you talk every day. Plus, if you're spending a lot of time with your friend group (especially in college) there is rarely a need to text outside of the personal time you spend together. Your in-person interaction is so much better than maintaining a Snapchat streak.
6. You do things for each other, just because.
While friendship is all about being there for each other, you will find that your true friends do things for each other, just because... thoughtful things like surprise you with a coffee at work or a birthday card in the mail. Or, they may come home from grocery shopping with your favorite snack, free of charge. Buying things for each other may be materialistic, but you also do things for each other like leave each other notes or remind each other of tests coming up. It's the sweet things they do that remind you why you're friends with them.
7. You can be yourself around them.
Most people cannot let loose and really be themselves around just anyone. It takes a certain level of trust and familiarity before you can show your friends the real you. You know you've found those people when you can comfortably be yourself around them and they don't judge you. They love you anyways, just the way you are.
8. They are the first people you go to when something big happens.
Whether you get a new job, win an award, or make the Dean's List, the first people you think of to tell are your true friends- the people who you know genuinely care about you and your life. They are the first people to congratulate you when something good happens, but also the first people to be there when something bad happens.
9. They defend you no matter what.
The true test of friendship is whether your friends defend you in your absence. Your true friends will always stick up with you in any situation, and they will never let you down.
10. You plan to have them in your wedding.
Whether you are in your late twenties and engaged, or barely nineteen and single, when you think about planning your wedding someday, your core group of friends are the first people you incorporate into your wedding party. They will be your bridesmaids and groomsmen. That's how you know you've found your forever friends.
