{Spiritual Sisters Group}

{LtoR: Laurie, Laura, Julianna, Patricia, Amy, Brooke, Me, Marcy, Cortney.  Thank you for opening your hearts, ears + arms to me.  Grateful for my LA sisterhood. Love ya’ll}

Hey Gorgeous Gang!

A few days ago I received one of those mass emails that I not only stopped and read, but it made me stop and think.  Then, I sat there a moment and gave gratitude for all the amazing women who have been part of my journey in life.  Some are still on the journey and some were only there for a reason or a season, but regardless– they made an impact on my life.  I really cherish the long friendships I have. You know those girlfriends who immediately take you back to your authentic self in the first 30 seconds you see them.  They knew you before you took on the title of mom or wife and have you feeling like your free-spirited 18 year old self again.  I’m also excited to be sassy and silver-headed with these girlfriends in 20 years! 

Since childhood, I have always thrived most when I had a tight posse of girlfriends. Being in a group atmosphere was where I felt at home, whether it was on a cheerleading squad, youth group or even amongst the group of models I traveled with when I was a beer girl. (yes, I was a Tecate poster model)  I can hear you laughing!  Hey, if you’re a young eager model in Texas– you started out as a beer girl and we all have to start somewhere, right?!  I was always part of a group, but went through a period right after I got married where I felt isolated here in LA and had a difficult time reaching out. Depression hit me hard and my health suffered tremendously with everything from migraines, anxiety, acne and ulcers.  I didn’t realize it then, but my lack of connection was a big part of the problem. Plus, I was in the midst of a serious spiritual healing on top of adjusting to marriage.  I WAS ONE….BIG….HOT….MESS!

Ok, back to that email.  One of the main reasons I opened the email was because it was sent from a dear friend (love you Amy) I’ve known since I was a teenager and she never, ever forwards mass emails. You know those emails your mom  forwards that has cute pictures of dogs napping or it’s a superstition stating if you forward this email to 10 people you will have a financial breakthrough or someone will call you with good news in the next 24 hours. Yes, we have all gotten them and yes, I admit to forwarding mass emails and in fact, I forwarded a prayer recently that I will be sharing with you all next week because it’s just THAT GOOD!  Several friends replied telling me that it was exactly what they needed that day so always go with your gut and pass along the encouraging ones. You never know who needs the lift that day!

Ok, again– back to the email Amy sent me.  The subject title was “Girlfriend Time” and since that is one of my all time fave things… I opened it immediately.   Due to that period I dealt with depression as a newlywed, I am now a firm believer in the importance of women connecting and knew I had to share this email with my SOS sistas.  I researched the email chain and found out that it was a legitimate lecture given at Stanford, but there is no online source stating who the author was.

Without the unconditional love, support, laughs, prayers, pats on the back and slaps upside the head– I’m not sure where I would be without my girlfriends. Plus, the sacred space I share twice a month with my spiritual group has created the sense of belonging I was missing for years here in LA. This is a topic I discuss often and may sound like a broken record, but it’s because CONNECTION is so vital to our well being and now we have proof it helps our health as well–maybe even more than hitting the gym! Whew, this is a long post, but please read on…..

Here’s the email….

“I just finished taking an evening class at Stanford. The last lecture was on the mind-body connection – the relationship between stress and disease. The speaker (head of psychiatry at Stanford) said, among other things, that 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 girlfriends.

Women connect with each other differently and provide support systems that help each other to deal with stress and difficult life experiences. Physically this quality “girlfriend time” helps us to create more serotonin – a neurotransmitter that helps combat depression and can create a general feeling of well being. Women share feelings whereas men often form relationships around activities. They rarely sit down with a buddy and talk about how they feel about certain things or how their personal lives are going. Jobs? Yes. Sports? Yes. Cars? Yes. Fishing, hunting, golf? Yes. But their feelings? Rarely.

Women do it all of the time. We share from our souls with our sisters/mothers, and evidently that is very good for our health. He said that spending time with a friend is just as important to our general health as jogging or working out at a gym. (HOLLA!!!)

There’s a tendency to think that when we are “exercising” we are doing something good for our bodies, but when we are hanging out with friends, we are wasting our time and should be more productively engaged—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! (SAY WHAT???)

So every time you hang out to schmooze with a gal pal, just pat yourself on the back and congratulate yourself for doing something good for your health! We are indeed very, very lucky. Sooooo let’s toast to our friendship with our girlfriends!  Evidently it’s very good for our health.”

This week I will….

1. Schedule girlfriend time.
2. Give gratitude for all the amazing women in my life.
3. Be a better friend.
4. Open up to a trusting friend + share my soul. (It could add yrs to my life)
5. Release any toxic friendships once and for all.
6. Pray for my girlfriends.
7. Nurture all the women in my life no matter their age. (even your 9 yr old niece)
8. Listen without “one-upping” (thanks Brene Brown)
9. Reach out the minute I feel lonely. (stop the wallowing before it starts)
10. Not take my genuine friendships for granted.
11. Toast to the fabulous friends in my life!

FORWARD THIS POST TO ALL YOUR GIRLFRIENDS.

Share/Tweet/Pin the SOS love!

I close my eyes, bow my head and pray for you ALL to be richly blessed in the coming week.

Love, Tiff

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