The Importance of having Girlfriends

Welcome to The Secret Society of Pandora's Box. The original goal of this group was to encourage an outlet amongst friends who have history, closeness and share the commonality of needing to express themselves freely and openly without criticism or looked at by others in what some would consider strange. We hope that those who are part of this Secret Group on Facebook will embrace, expand and encourage participation to help ourselves evolve while forming stronger relationships with each other.

And off we launch...

Commentary:

Before I begin, I'd like to share an interesting blurb about how a simple Facebook group, led me to working through the late hours of the night creating this forum. As I sat tiredly through the night thinking about launching this, there was some reluctance of the mere thought of the subjective views and opinions that some may secretly share. Would they  be good? Would they be bad? What would they say?  But then I thought to myself, what am I doing thinking this way? This completely goes against what we're trying to  promote...a forum to encourage strength, friendship and confidence in who we are, want to be, what we want to say and who we will continue to become.

My topic of choice for this launch was clear...Celebrating Friendships. I'd like to emphasis, that it is clearly without a doubt something I could not have done without knowing and reflecting on the support I have from my friends who I dedicate this first blog to. My friends have been there for me through the most neediest of  times; you're my support, my comedy hour and the shoulder I need in good times and in bad...I dedicate this you.

Celebrating Friendships:

In a recent poll found online, women were asked: “Do you wish you had more close female friends?” An astonishing result of over 84% of women said yes.  It’s a proven fact that a friendship among women is good for one’s health so it’s a topic worth discussing.

The Head of Psychiatry at Stanford University said in a lecture that one of the best things that a man could do for his health is to be married to a woman.  But for a woman, one of the best things she could do for her health was to nurture her relationships with her girlfriends. 

And an UCLA study suggests and as we know, friendships between women are special. They shape who we are and who we are yet to be. They soothe our tumultuous inner world, fill the emotional gaps we may have in our marriage and help us remember who we really are; for good or bad. But they may do more...they are helping us live better!

Women connect with each other differently than men (surprise, surprise) and provide support systems that help each other deal with stress and life experiences.  This “girlfriend time” helps us create more serotonin – a neurotransmitter that helps combat depression.

Spending time with a girlfriend is just as important to our health as working out at a gym. In a Harvard Medical School Nurse’s Health study, it was shown that friendships help to reduce stress, improve immune systems, and increases overall emotional well-being. Additionally, it found that the more friends women had, the less likely they were to develop physical impairments as they aged. These friendships lead to a more joyful life. In fact, the results were so significant, the researchers concluded, that not having close friends or confidants was as detrimental to your health as smoking or carrying extra weight.

Every time we get overly busy with work and family, we naturally let go of friendships with our girlfriends. We push them right to the back burner and this is a mistake because women are such a source of strength to each other. We nurture one another. And we need to have unpressurized space in which we can do the special kind of talk that women do when they're with other women like this forum was created to do. It's a very healing experience to open up and divulge your inner self amongst friends.

So every time you hang out with your girlfriends, you’re doing something good for your health!  When was the last time you raised a toast to good friends? Cheers to all who are part of The Secret Society of Pandora's Box...where we dare to dish, dare to be brave and dare to celebrate our different way with each other!