Sunday 9-20-09, Women's Friendship Day - Ideas for Celebrating

The official publication date of my new book, Best Friends Forever: Surviving a Breakup with Your Best Friend was carefully chosen. It is Sunday, September 20th, coinciding with National Women's Friendship Day. Celebrated on the third Sunday of September each year since 1999, this year, 34 states have signed on with Governors' proclamations endorsing women's friendship

The day is intended to provide an opportunity for women to recognize those friends who play important roles in their lives and to acknowledge how vital female friendships are to women's health and emotional well-being at every stage of life. "Our main goal is to encourage women to recognize the value of female friendship, something that is often taken for granted," says Melanie Schild, Executive Director of Kappa Delta Sorority, the creator of the holiday. "For this tenth anniversary of the day, we encourage women to celebrate the entire month of September."

Female friendships are unique relationships unlike any others. They aren't bound by any blood or legal ties. Rather, they are totally voluntary relationships that come without any instruction manual or rules of the road. Because women lead such busy lives balancing multiple roles at home and at work, these friendships often fall by the wayside as women deal with more pressing matters.

Until the end of September, Psychology Today is encouraging women to pause and take stock of their friendships by asking themselves the following:

• Do I have enough close female friends or do I need more?
• Among those I have, which friendships are important to me and worth keeping?
• Are there some I've neglected?
• How can I nurture the ones that I value?
• Are some consistently draining and unfulfilling? Can I mend them or should I end them?
• What opportunities can I seize to forge new friendships?

When you have completed your personal inventory, we hope you'll take action. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Plan a girls-only night out, a girls' night in, or weekend getaway
• Meet for brunch or dinner at a favorite restaurant
• Join with friends to participate in a 5K walk or other fundraising event for a good cause
• Organize a book club with female friends and acquaintances
• Reconnect with a friend from the past - Find her on Facebook and make the first call or send a card
• Send your female friends a positive, uplifting message to build their confidence

Psychology Today and my publisher, Overlook Press, are joining Kappa Delta Sorority to make this day even more significant in the lives of women. We encourage you to use the comments section on my Psychology Today blog to post a public note to one of your best female friends (in 250 words or less) explaining why you value her friendship.

The three best posts (chosen by Carlin Flora of Psychology Today, Juliet Grames of Overlook Press, and I) will receive a free autographed copy of Best Friends Forever: Surviving a Breakup with Your Best Friend. (Be sure to include your email address so we can get in touch with you.)

In celebration of friendship,
Irene