It’s National Girlfriend Day and I’m not kidding when I say everyone needs a girlfriend. No, I’m not talking the romantic kind, I mean the 3am phone call, come over when my house is a disaster, distract me with a drive to nowhere in particular, meet me on a whim kind of friend.
Several years ago when I first started my blog – yes, I used to have one, before I started emailing out articles like this – I wrote a post entitled “A Babysitter and Coffee is Cheaper Than Therapy.” Times were quite a bit different, mostly because the boys were little, I wasn’t really working at all (a little freelance work here and there), and I was still deep in the throws of my Postpartum Depression. Despite being in a completely different phase of life, that post has always sort of hung out in the back of my head.
If I were to add to that post, and expand upon the great advice I shared (me-time is important), I would definitely include time with a girlfriend. There have been studies done about both the psychological and physical benefits of women having girlfriends. In fact, Harvard, Stanford and UCLA have all published studies over the last several decades on the topic. Check out this Healthline article that summarizes why girlfriends are important: https://www.healthline.com/
I used to joke with my husband, telling him “you need a girlfriend!” Haha! In all seriousness though, don’t you feel better after laying it all out there with a friend who just gets it without judging you??? I know I do!
As we get older I think our circle of friends naturally gets more intimate. Sometimes that may literally mean getting smaller, or sometimes it just means that those relationships get deeper and more genuine. We get to know each other on a different heart level than maybe we did when we were in our 20’s or 30’s (okay, I admit I am 49 and my 20’s seemed a long time ago – a time when I didn’t really know who I was yet, so how could I have possibly divulged my true heart identity if I didn’t know who she was yet?).
Needless to say, I wouldn’t be where I am in life if it weren’t for my circle of girlfriends. They have held me up, lifted me up, encouraged me and empathized with me. And we would do it in a heartbeat for each other over and over. I am truly blessed and grateful for the circle that I get to call friends.
In honor of National Girlfriend Day, reach out to a friend (or a few) who has/have really made a difference in your life. A little note to say “hey, I’m thinking of you and you matter to me” can really go a long way.
Cheers to all of you awesome amazing friends out there!