Waiting around for some half-dead flowers from Lidl that were picked up by your cheating boyfriend in a rush is so over. This year, we are celebrating Galentine’s Day with our circles of girls, gays, and theys. We are nourishing our friendships and setting dedicated time aside to honor and celebrate the platonic love in our lives.
Even if you have a partner that everyone isn’t rooting against and are expecting a pleasant Valentine’s Day, nothing can compare to the bond of girlhood, so this is still a must.
Whether it’s planning a movie night and ordering in or going out on the town for drinks and dancing, spending time and making space for platonic friendships that nourish your soul is crucial this 2025 Galentine’s Day. It’s actually medically advisable that you push this to the top of your priority list, as research indicates that those with close confidants experience higher life satisfaction and lower anxiety levels. Notably, older adults with strong friendships were found to be 24% less likely to die over an eight-year period compared to those without such bonds. So, fellow postgrad students, it’s time to lock in.
As I have navigated my 20s, I have many times found myself spinning out emotionally after a relationship that I had overestimated the potential of came to an inevitable ending. With time and practice, I have learned how to stop the spinning, or at least make it a little less dizzying. Through engaging in meaningful, platonic relationships with people who have my best interests at heart. Spending my time with those who genuinely know me, and also see the importance of relationships outside of romantic connections. There is so much more to life than romantic love, despite what the majority of media will attempt to lead us to believe.
Reflecting on one of my top three worst heart breaks, I am flooded initially with embarrassment that I let a man with that hairline treat me so poorly. But once I get past that natural knee-jerk response, I am flooded with gratitude for the support system I had of strong relationships with women that lifted me back up out of the emotional gutter I had fallen into. It was one of the least graceful breakups known to man. I was inconsolable, lost, and completely depleted of my self-worth and confidence. The recovery was long and dragged out, until I slowly began to understand and see the love, support, and comfort in my life was more abundant than ever before. Comfort wasn’t found in the club downing drinks in the arms of some hot, random man, but in the late night calls with my best friend where we would analyze and process the same events as many times as my broken little heart desired. It was found in the quiet, yet unwavering, strength and companionship that came with long talks and ugly cries parked up in the Taco Bell lot. The women in my life made me whole again. The platonic love in my life showed me slowly but surely what love is supposed to look like and feel like. The love in my life was everywhere, rather than in the romantic relationships that I thought it was present in before. And it didn’t take long to see that spending my time with people who loved me simply just because and not because they needed the ego boost of a woman fawning over them, or they were too insecure to be single.
When I look back on my life, I want to remember the laughter shared with my best friends on a night out, showing up for each other’s major milestones, supporting each other through grief and loss, and growing together through travels and adventures. I want to look back on an experience full of community, love, and encouragement. And in order to be able to look back on that, I have to make an active effort to create those memories now. Which means setting dedicated time aside to celebrate and honor the relationships in my life that go so much deeper than a situationship from Tinder ever could fathom.
To be a woman is to feel the energy of the people close to you deeply and carry the burden of those around you close to your heart. But it is also a gift to carry the love of those around you with just as much impact. So, I invite you to choose your circle with intention. Spend your time with people who leave you feeling full and certain of where you stand with one another, rather than drained and uncertain.
