Finding Strength in Solitude: How Friends Taught Me to Be There for Myself

Someone I once knew. Growing up, she always felt like she didn’t quite fit. As someone with autism, social cues were a language she was still learning, and forming friendships often felt like an uphill battle. While her brother thrived with a tight-knit group of best friends, friends who still stand by him 25 years later she found herself wondering what it was like to belong like that, to be seen and accepted without question.

The friendships she did have often ended in heartbreak. People walked away, betrayed her trust, or told her she was “too much” for them. It was a pain she carried in silence, trying to make sense of what she was doing wrong. But the truth was, she wasn’t the problem she was simply different.

In the absence of real life companionship, she found unexpected solace in six fictional strangers. The cast of Friends became more than characters on a screen; they became a lifeline. The words of the theme song, “I’ll be there for you,” felt like a promise they were keeping just for her. Ross, Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe, and Joey weren’t just entertaining they were teaching her what it meant to show up, to laugh through the pain, to embrace imperfections, and to love oneself.

For her, it wasn’t just a TV show. It was a guide, a comfort, and at times, the closest thing she had to connection. The lessons they taught shaped her into the person she is now: resilient, self-aware, and brave enough to face the world even when it’s lonely.

Today, as she looks at the life she’s built, she knows her 10 year old self wouldn’t believe it. Back then, the idea of finding her place in the world felt like an impossible dream. But she made it happen. Yes, being on her own can be hard it’s a kind of quiet strength that doesn’t always come with recognition. And yet, she’s proud of the person she’s become.

Her story isn’t one of loneliness, but of triumph. It’s about learning that being different doesn’t mean being less, and that even when the rain pours and no one else is there to say, “I’ll be there for you,” she can rely on herself. And that, she’s realised, is the most powerful thing of all.