Stressed? Here’s the easy solution – spend time with your Girlfriends!

“I didn’t know how much I needed it until I got home,” shared my friend Colleen last week on our Saturday morning walk.

“I’ve been really stressed lately and didn’t know when I left the house how much I needed this girlfriend trip.”

Colleen, her sister, and a girlfriend take a road trip every August to shop, shop and, knowing Colleen as well as I do, shop some more. They load the car with a cooler and snacks, and then fill the hours and miles on the way to wherever with laughter, stories, and catching up on their lives. Colleen swears that laughter burns calories – who am I to argue? – so all the treats and meals on their girl’s getaway don’t even count. Their faces literally hurt the entire time from all the giggling, to full out shouts of laughter. (I heard some of their stories – there really were pretty hilarious!)

Funny thing, it wasn’t until after the trip that Colleen realized how much she needed the trip. Not just enjoyed it – like wanting to get out of the house for bit – but truly NEEDED it. She needed to be around her friends, to connect, laugh, share, and, again in Colleen’s case, shop – with her girlfriends. (-:

Join us for our upcoming Girlfriend Cruise!

The American Institute of Stress says that stress induced symptoms or diseases are responsible for 75-90% of visits to primary care physicians. So many other studies (including those in The Tending Instinct) point to the power of female friendship physically reducing stress. Laughing with friends, knowing they’re there for you, and just being around women who care about you is a wonderful and healthy thing.

We get back in touch with ourselves when we reconnect with women who know us as “Linda” or “Anne,” not Mrs., Teacher, Doctor – or any other title.

Our female friends provide a unique support system that has a truly positive impact on our health. (Tell that to your husband when he asks why you need to go shopping with your girlfriends!)

For Colleen and her girlfriends, their weekend together de-stressed them. They consciously felt better when they returned than before their girlfriend getaway. Their lower stress levels were palatable. On top of all that, they have great memories and some really funny stories to laugh over for years to come.

So today, Day 6, we recommend you plan a girlfriend getaway. Find friends to visit a Fall Festival with. Plan a perfect weekend of pampering. Go camping, visit a long distance friend, plan a weekend in your favorite city – together. You might be like Colleen – and really NEED to de-stress. Go on a girlfriend getaway and come home happy and de-stressed!

This Month of Friendship that we’re celebrating in the Friendship Circle blogs is a month we all hope inspires you to reach out to new friends, stay in touch with old friends, appreciate and celebrate all your girlfriends. We want you to learn ways to strengthen your long-time friendships, give you some ideas on how to make new friends, and enjoy making memories together and understand why it’s so important – and healthy – to have strong friendships.

All that, and reduce your stress! What could be better?

Where have you and your girlfriends gone together? What trips do you have planned?

Here’s days 1-5 on our Month of Friendship:

• Day 1: Throw a girlfriend dinner party
• Day 2: Girlfriend Gratitude
• Day 3: Social Media Friends
• Day 4: Make a memory gift for your girlfriend
• Day 5: Phone a Friend!

(And Happy Labor Day girlfriend!)

Tags: friendship, girlfriend getaway, girlfriend trip, Labor Day, stress, trip with girlfriends

This entry was posted on Monday, September 6th, 2010 at 7:02 am and is filed under Be a Better FRIEND, Girlfriend Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.