Why Friendship Might Be The Wellness Trend We’re All Missing
For years we’ve been told that wellness lives in the obvious places.
The green smoothie.
The Pilates membership.
The supplements lined up neatly on the kitchen bench.
The expensive skincare routine.
The morning meditation app we downloaded with the best intentions and forgot to open after three days.
And while all of those things can absolutely support our wellbeing, I think we’ve been overlooking one of the most powerful wellness tools available to us.
Friendship.
Not the Instagram kind.
Not the “we should definitely catch up soon” text thread that’s been sitting untouched for six months.
Real friendship.
The kind where someone knows exactly what’s going on in your life without needing a ten-minute recap.
The kind where you can show up in activewear, no makeup and running twenty minutes late because your child couldn’t find their shoes.
The kind where conversation moves effortlessly from business ideas to hormone changes to school drop offs to the existential crisis you had at 2am.
Somewhere along the way, many of us stopped prioritising friendship.
Not intentionally.
Life simply got louder.
Careers grew.
Businesses expanded.
Children arrived.
Mortgages happened.
Schedules became fuller.
And before we knew it, friendship became something we squeezed in around everything else.
Instead of recognising it as something essential.
Friendship Is Good For Your Health
Research consistently shows that strong social connections are linked to better mental health, lower stress levels, improved longevity and even reduced risk of chronic disease.
Yet somehow we still treat catching up with a friend like a luxury.
We’ll happily spend money on wellness products, but cancel dinner because we’re “too busy”.
We’ll book a massage months in advance, but postpone coffee with a friend for another six weeks.
The irony is that many of us leave those conversations feeling better than any treatment we could have booked.
Because being seen matters.
Being heard matters.
Feeling connected matters.
The Loneliness Nobody Talks About
One of the strangest parts of adulthood is how easy it can be to feel lonely while being constantly surrounded by people.
You’re talking all day.
Answering emails., managing work. helping children, checking notifications.
Responding to messages.
But meaningful connection is something entirely different.
And I think many women carry a quiet loneliness they don’t often admit out loud.
Particularly during seasons of growth.
Starting a business.
Moving towns.
Working remotely.
Having children.
Going through divorce.
Entering perimenopause.
Changing careers.
These life transitions can be incredibly isolating.
Not because people disappear.
But because your life evolves faster than your community sometimes can.
When I lived in Sydney, surrounded my people all day, I’ve never felt more loney. Connections everywhere but surface level. Being with the right people that see you is often more important.
Building A Village Looks Different As An Adult
When we were younger, friendship happened naturally.
School.
University.
Share houses.
Part-time jobs.
We saw people every day without needing to coordinate calendars three months in advance.
As adults, friendship requires intention.
Which can feel uncomfortable at first.
Inviting someone for coffee.
Sending the first message.
Joining a community group.
Starting a walking group.
Attending an event alone.
But the women who seem to have strong communities rarely got lucky.
They built them.
One conversation at a time.
My Favourite Wellness Ritual Right Now
It’s not a supplement.
It’s not a workout.
It’s not even a perfectly curated morning routine.
It’s making time for people I love.
Long breakfasts.
Beach walks.
Voice notes.
Spontaneous cups of tea.
Conversations that last longer than they probably should.
The older I get, the more I realise wellness isn’t always found in adding another habit to our to-do list.
Sometimes it’s found sitting across from someone who reminds you who you are.
Preferably with a beautiful pot of herbal tea between you or a spicy marg.
Because perhaps the healthiest thing we can do this year isn’t optimise another part of ourselves.
Perhaps it’s simply making more room for each other.
And maybe that’s what wellness was always meant to be.
