The first year of university was a whirlwind of meeting new people and overwhelming social interactions. As a student, I often felt surrounded by a culture that puts endless importance on the pursuit of love interests, making it easy to lose sight of the other crucial connections in life. It required lessons to be learned about friendships and relationships in ways that weren’t easy to understand, but they were always necessary. Regarding those lessons and barriers that I had to conquer, learning to prioritize and uplift the women in my life was one of the most valuable.
I have been fortunate enough to have made such strong female friendships in university that I consider very valuable and dear to me. As I return for my second year and re-enter this environment that often solely emphasizes the weight of romantic relationships, I am glad to have new perspectives and philosophies that place the proper amount of importance on my female friendships.
One of the things I cherish the most about the women in my life is shared experience. All of the difficulties of transitioning to female adulthood have been hard to bear, but I feel proud to say they haven’t been shouldered alone. Choosing to make time for the people that relate to me and make me feel comfortable sharing my experiences has made all the difference. Sometimes my girlfriends understand what I feel and sometimes they don’t, but they will always try to hear about it and understand my life from a woman’s perspective. It has been incredibly valuable to surround myself with this inspiration during a time of such rampant change in my life.
Platonic friendships are the ultimate soul food. They contribute to my confidence and happiness levels that can so easily be beaten down by romantic hardships. When my self-perception feels overly negative and weak, the women in my life are always there to build me back up. They will heal a heart they haven’t broken, hold my hand to guide me through a crowded bar, rot in bed all day on a Sunday, happy-cry or sad-cry when necessary and most importantly, they make time for me and all of the people they love.
At this point in life, I am so lucky about who I have surrounded myself with. University years can be such a vulnerable time, and it is important to me to have the outlet and support that my female friendships provide. It is and has been such a beautiful thing to watch my girlfriends grow and change into such powerful and strong role models that I have the privilege of looking up to. Any time I feel caught up in what feels like a silly romantic or life trouble, it always ends up feeling so clear once I surround myself with the girls that uplift and inspire me. True life connections are worth the effort, because the women that you put energy into valuing will put the same energy into valuing you.