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This Is How You Know You Have the Best Female Friends

Happiness | Lifestyle

Did you know that August 1st is Girlfriends' Day? The older I get, the more I appreciate the value of strong, supportive female friendships. That life will throw us curveballs is a certainty; knowing that I have a core group of women who I can reach out to when I need them (and vice versa) is worth its weight in gold.

Read on to discover five ways to know that you have the best female friends.

1. They Know When to Listen (and When to Give Advice)

In my fourth decade of life, I've learned an invaluable piece of wisdom: never give advice unless someone asks for it. It was a hard lesson to learn. When we care about people, we want what's best for them. We often think we know what that is.

Great friends trust us to know what is best for us. They know that sometimes we'll make mistakes but that those mistakes are part of our journey. They don't try to deny us the lessons those mistakes might bring.

Sometimes, we just want someone to listen while we tell our story. There's a quote from Ed Cunningham that says, "Friends are those rare people who ask how we are and then wait to hear the answer." If you are lucky enough to have a friend who knows when to listen, you know you have a great friend.

2. They Celebrate Your Success (No Deep-Seated Jealousy & Insecurity)

You know you have a great friend when their response is, "YES!!!!" after you share some good news. While it's natural to feel some envy when someone experiences success, great friends don't let those feelings get in the way of being proud of youga and shouting your news from the rooftops.

They're the ones who share your Facebook post, who call to congratulate you, and who never make you feel like you have to lessen your glory to protect their feelings. Think of the people in your life who seem to get even more pumped than you do when good things come your way: these are GREAT friends.

3. They're Your First Phone Call or Text After a Major Life Event

Promotion? New Relationship? Expecting? Your best friends are the ones who hear your good news first. In fact, it doesn't even feel real until you tell them what happened. The excitement of sharing your update with them gives you butterflies in your stomach because you know they're going go celebrate with you.

Your best friends are also the ones you can call when life throws you a curveball. After a loss, illness, or disappointment, you turn to them just the same, knowing that they'll be there for you no matter what, good or bad, in sickness and in health.

4. They Support Your Growth and Accept You as You Are

I'm not sure who ever said that people don't change. I change all the time! A few years ago, I went through some major changes in my life. I started to seriously think about the person that I wanted to be and my place in this world. Developing a yoga and meditation practice was a big part of those changes.

The girl who used to like spending Saturday nights at a bar now prefers to be in bed early on Saturday to wake up and catch the sunrise on Sunday, reading, practicing yoga, and enjoying a cup of coffee.

Sometimes, when people go through big life changes, relationships end. That's okay. That's a part of life. But wow, I really appreciate the women who have stuck by my side through these changes, the women who accept these changes without judgment and love me just the same.

5. They Make You Laugh

What's better than a good belly laugh with your best friends? Friends remind us not to take it all so seriously. They tease us, they tell us hilarious stories, or they reminisce with us about some funny story from the past. Our best friends are the people who are there for us through it all, the tears, the joy, the sadness, and yes, the laughter.

What do you love most about your best friends? Tag a friend who does all these things and let them know how great they are!

Image credit: Tie Simpson

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