Last month I was chasing a crazy deadline at work when suddenly junior came down with fever. The man of the house was out of the city on an official tour. Surrounded by the strenuous work pressure, a messy home and a sick child who was throwing tantrums, I felt completely drained out. In exasperation I called up one of my girlfriends to share my woes. At the end of an hour long conversation with her, in which approximately 5 minutes were spent on discussing my predicaments and the rest in talking about a hundred other things, I felt de-stressed. I was in a better frame of mind to face the situation. Yes, that’s the magical power of girlfriends, they kick back life into our tired souls.

I am not saying my male friends are any less significant. I have a bunch of the most amazing male friends and I share a great connect with them. But with my girlfriends the story is completely different. It’s as if they know exactly what I am going through even before I finish telling them about the issues at hand. I share a bond with my girls that goes beyond words.

I guess it’s the way women look at things and respond to situations that makes girlfriends so different from male friends. Both try to help you out when you need them, but their ways are totally dissimilar. When I talk to my male friends about any problem they try to find a solution. When I reach out to my girlfriends, they listen patiently and comfort me or pep me up with their crazy ideas. With my girls around, it’s more about releasing stress and drawing in fresh energy. My male friends offer me objective reasoning to help me out of a situation. My gang of girls allow me to vent out my emotions and reassure me with soothing words and that is exactly what we need most of the times.

Women often experience various emotional hitches and crisis that only another woman can understand.  As we surge through the highs and lows of life, our girlfriends turn into our emotional anchors. They help us to tide over the storms. They are the ones with whom we can laugh, cry and easily share our joys, sorrows and other intimate aspects of our lives. They listen to our problems, support us, love us unconditionally and push us to do our best. A long chat with a girlfriend can help us to relax, sort out our thoughts and get a better hold on our emotions. In other words, female bonding is a unique therapy in itself.

But many among us tend to neglect this very bond while becoming preoccupied with life’s responsibilities and challenges. Sometimes we get so involved in our roles as wives and mothers, we start to distance ourselves from our girlfriends. We need to recognize the value of women friendship. We need to realize that a woman will always need her girlfriends, regardless of her age.

Women need to nurture their female bonding in order to share, care, heal and grow as individuals. It is a support system that helps them to recognize their potential and function more efficiently. They need to invest in their girlfriends so that in times of need they have the cushion of friendship to fall back on. Being in touch is the best gift that a woman can give to another woman.

If you are a woman, you will always need your girlfriends. Take a moment to think about the girlfriends in your life. Have you lost touch with any of your girls? Reach out and reconnect. Life is short, pave your path of happiness by keeping your girlfriends close to you.