One of my greatest support systems has always been my friends. Knowing that I can go to them for absolutely anything and having the feeling that they would do anything for me is a feeling I will never be able to fully describe. Life gets difficult, especially with stress from relationships, school and even just having a bad day, I can thank my friends for always being there for me for things like that.

1. Supporting me when no one else did

Everyone goes through things. Rather its personal problems or they’re trying new things. When you feel like the entire world is against you, I can guarantee that your girlfriends will support you, take your side and make sure that you’re not facing your battles alone, no matter what.

2. Giving me a reality check when I didn’t even know I needed one

Life gets busy, we all know that. Sometimes I get wrapped up in all of the bad things that are going on and I never think of all the positives. Or even situations where I don’t even realize that I’m hanging around negative people or those people take away my worth. That’s when my real friends step in and get me back to reality.

3. Being there for all of my good times and even my bad times

I feel like everyone can relate to this. My friends have been there for most of my favorite memories, graduations, birthdays, lake days, fraternity parties and more. But at the same time, they were the ones that I turned to first when I had heartbreak, family problems, when I thought I was failing a class, someone started a rumor about me or I decided that I can drink as much Bacardi that I wanted without any consequences. They’re the ones to get me back on my feet.

4. Letting me rant about anything, no matter how many times I’ve ranted about it

They are the first to hear about what’s going on in my life, when I want to scream my head off and just bawl my eyes out. If it’s a phone call, driving straight to their house or even waking them up at 3am. No matter if they’ve already given me advice on what’s going on or they completely 100% disagree with what I am doing, I know that they’ll talk me through it and reassure me that everything will be okay.

5. Always having girl’s nights and pouring huge glasses of wine

Let’s be honest, when you put me and my best friends in a room with a little (or a lot) of pink moscato, we know we’ll have a good night. No matter how busy our schedules are or what’s going on in all of our lives. There will be a lot of laughing, possible crying, venting, listening to throwback music, binge watching netflix and lots of new memories. Those are nights that I will never miss because I get to spend time with my girls.

6. For all the times that you protected me

Everyone has been in a situation where their mom texted them “are you at (insert friends name here)” and your friend had to go along with it, just in case your mom texted your friend. Having friends that cover for you, call you when you’re on a horrible date just to help you get out of it, protecting you when you decide to drink too much or even helping you get out of a toxic relationship.

7. Helping me grow as a person and always pushing me to accomplish more

Having the same friend group from high school is a blessing. Not only have they all witnessed my awkward phases, but they’ve seen me at my worst and my best. Having friends that make sure that you’re always doing your best, pushing you to work harder in school, having study dates at the library and making sure you don’t miss work after a long night out is important in friendships. No matter what goes on in your life, your girlfriends will always have your back.