Here’s an interesting exercise to do with your friends. Gather them all in a circle and set a timer for one minute for every member of your squad; for example, if you have a group of seven friends, including yourself, set a timer for seven minutes. The exercise is for every person to say one unique, positive characteristic of everyone else in the group.

I did this exercise with my group of close friends on the bus ride back from a marching band competition and I was a little shocked at how long it took us to really think about something good to say. It’s not like we dislike each other—quite the opposite. We trust each other with some of our deepest secrets and fears; we know we can count on each other. So it’s not that we didn’t have good things to say, but more that we didn’t know how to say them, for fear of being sappy or sentimental or weird.

But the thing is, there is nothing weird about telling your friends what you admire about them. In fact, it is something we should all do on a regular basis. Our friendships are some of the most important relationships we develop in high school, and we need to evaluate how healthy they actually are. If you seriously cannot think of a single unique, admirable quality about each of your friends, then maybe you should reconsider the term “friend”.

Most importantly though, the popular culture of messing with your friends and declining to take the time to really appreciate them is a toxic mentality. Unfortunately, I myself can get sucked into this apathetic routine. But I’m trying to change. I’m trying to seize every opportunity to tell my friends why I appreciate their company.

Tell the people you care about why you care about them. I promise you, you’ll never regret it.