Day 11 - The Reinvigorating Power of Female Friendships
Velvet in the summer? Someone call Vogue.
June 17th, 2024
The guilt of not spending every waking moment studying has been eating me up. My exam is in one week and the panic and nerves are at an all time high. So you can imagine how having THREE separate social outings in 2 days has caused a full-blown spiral. Although, plot-twist, it did not actually have that effect.
Curiously enough, I feel a renewed sense of energy and motivation that is so much more potent than any jug of nitro cold-brew I can get my hands on. It’s amazing how spending time with people, women in particular, who you care about and admire can ignite a little part of you that is often dimmed. Whether it’s due to work, kids, pets, family, drama, we are constantly exhausted and in need of me-time. And for many, moments alone are hard to come by. For a little context, I live with my boyfriend and have never lived alone so I’ve sort of had a crutch the entire time that I’m now learning I can walk without. Moving countries and cities forces you to put in extra effort in seeking out friendships outside of familial and romantic ones but since you’ve already accumulated some from the forced 3rd spaces (school, work) you’ve been in, do you even need to try? I’ve picked up and dropped off a number of friends during my time here but the friends I’ve held on to have one thing in common: after every interaction with them, I feel energized.
I get home from a walk with a friend and I’m inspired to start a business. I come back from dinner and I’m beaming with price hearing about someone’s new bigger and better job, the packed travel plans for the year, the hilarious anecdotes of new romantic ventures, the excitement of becoming a pet owner. It gave me the courage to finally share this with someone and hope to keep sharing it with hundreds more. It reminded me that I’ll still be loved and cared for regardless of score on my test. It helped me realize that there are things more important than memorizing liquidity formulas.
Find your people, spend time with them. This isn’t a groundbreaking take, but rather a gentle reminder of the great little moments that can propel you through the tough times or simply the I’m-running-on-5-hours-of-sleep-and-haven’t-washed-my-hair-in-a-week-I-just-need-a-hug times. Make more of them.
And please get some sleep.
