Pamper Your Mind with Girlfriends

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S FRIENDSHIP MONTH

Support, laughter, tears, advice, trust, and good times are all adjectives I would use to describe my cherished female friendships.  According to multiple studies, it’s not just my friendships that should be cherished.  In fact, the research shows many mental health benefits to these unique relationships.  Thanks to the Kappa Delta National Sorority, September 2009 marked the first annual International Women’s Friendship Month.  That’s right, it’s September and it’s time to celebrate our girlfriends around the world!

As with religion, culture, and ethnicity, we often find comfort in spending time with people that "get us".  Females and males do have commonalities and obviously complement each other well with their differences.  However, there are many life experiences only a woman can share with another woman.  Through sharing these experiences with female friends we are gifted with empathy, support, and validation.

In any type of relationship including marriage, family, or work, conflict can occur and people we love can bring us disappointment.  Female friendships are no exception to this phenomenon.  We see examples of these conflicts start from early childhood with little girls bickering on the playground.   Insecurities are too often the root of the issue despite age.  So it goes without saying, female friendships do not come without their challenges.  However, they are an irreplaceable relationship that we should make a priority and nurture.

When you consider a holistic approach to personal wellbeing, it is important to devote time and energy to different relationships in your life as they each have unique qualities.  For example, you may have romantic relationships, family relationships (grandparents, parents, brothers, sister, aunts, uncles, etc.), children, and hopefully you have girlfriends.  If you expend all of your energy to your children, your marriage and other relationships will inevitably suffer.  Likewise, if you devote all of yourself to your significant other, your other relationships will be neglected including your friends.

Are you guilty of neglecting your female friendships?  It’s not uncommon for woman to put these relationships on the backburner due to the fact these relationships are less demanding of our attention.  Coincidently, this is one of the main reasons it is important for woman to have female friendships.  You will likely share fewer if any responsibilities with these special people in your life and therefore can enjoy more leisure time while in their company. 

So I leave you with the challenge of using International Woman’s Friendship Month as a time to focus on your female friendships.  Whether that means making new friends, reconnecting with lost friendships or simply celebrating already established friendships, stay tuned this month for many thoughts, ideas, poems, and motivational blogs to celebrate this wonderful time of year!