F is for FRIENDS!

I hope these glorious days of summer are treating you all well and that you're taking time to slow down and bask in the warmth of the sun. I can tell you that I've been trying my best to do just that, despite having a busier schedule than I'd hoped. With two active boys, it's hard to just laze around, but I'm scheduling time to do it. :) The last year of my life has been filled with the kind of stress* that can make just about any human go bonkers, and I've been having to pull out all the stops to keep myself from having the kind of adrenal fatigue I write about in these newsletters. The reason for the stress is for another newsletter, but I will tell you that I believe one of the most powerful ways I've kept it at bay is being with my best girlfriends. They've truly been my lifeline. At times I've even had daily teas with at least one of them and for that I am most grateful.

Having girlfriends is so powerful that the head of the Stanford psychiatry department says this:

"One of the best things that a man could do for his health is to be married to a woman, whereas for a woman, one of the best things she could do for her health was to nurture her relationships with her female friends."

Women share their souls with their best friends, mothers, sisters, etc. and now the research shows it's actually good for our health! Physically this quality "girlfriend time" helps us to create more serotonin - a neurotransmitter that helps combat depression and can help create a general feeling of well-being. This same Stanford professor went on to explain that spending time with girlfriends is just as vital as jogging or riding a bike. The difference is that when we're exercising we tell ourselves that it's good for us, but when we're hanging with our pals, we tend to feel guilty, like we should be doing something else. Not true. In fact, he said that failure to create and maintain quality personal relationships with other humans is as dangerous to our physical health as smoking!

So, next time you're with your gal pal, give yourself a pat on the back (and while you're at it, give her a huge hug!) and know that you're doing something to improve your health...naturally.

Here's to sun, long walks, local fresh berries and loved ones!

*Stress - any stimulus, such as fear or pain, that disturbs or interferes with the normal physiologic equilibrium of an organism.