Ladies Night Out Is Great For Your Mental Health

The idea of ladies’ night out might seem impossible. Between family commitments and the constant exhaustion, who has the energy to get dressed up to go out? What if I told you that having a Ladies Night Out is great for your mental health?

Making time to connect with friends is one of the best ways to improve our overall health. Studies have even proven that it is more beneficial to your health and well-being than all others. It even ranks higher than quitting smoking, exercise, and healthy eating.

The Dutch have a term that they use to describe a lifestyle that focuses on comfort and connection with others. It’s called Hygge (pronounced hue-guh). During the long seasons that tend to drag and are typically filled with mundane routines, the Dutch will make the effort to improve their mental health by improving their relationships with their friends and family.

Join the Hygge Challenge

Ladies Night Out is Great for Your Mental Health

How is your daily routine? Do you work long days in the office and then go home to run kids to their activities? Or are you a stay-at-home mom surrounded by the kids, finding life a bit isolating?

Whether you work outside the home or inside the home, life can feel isolated and mundane. It can be hard to find the energy to get dressed up and go out.

Some of my worst periods of stress and chaos were alleviated by making myself go to the Ladies Night Out. There were many times my introverted, tired self only wanted to curl up in bed and forget about the world.

I knew that if I did that though, depression would then be inevitable and it would require the aid of a doctor. Instead, I chose to shake up my normal routine and attend the monthly Ladies Night Out.

Here I was able to temporarily forget the negative issues in my life and enjoy the laughter the ladies brought to the evening. They gave me temporary relief from my typical routine and reset my mindset enough to keep going.

Still not convinced?

What if I told you that you could create a Ladies Night Out that would be fun and full of laughter? It doesn’t even cost a lot, so you can enjoy some time with friends once a month without breaking the budget.

Bunco – The Perfect Ladies Night Game

Our Ladies Night Out started 12 years ago with the idea of playing Bunco once a month. A fellow school mom came to me and asked if I was interested. We needed 12 ladies and even though I loved the idea I was worried about finding 10 other ladies to join us.

We asked the other school moms, work friends, and other connections we had. Before we knew it, the original 12 was formed. We started with the commitment of one night and at the end of that night decided that we were hooked!

There were rules for Bunco, but we “dumbed” them down so we could eat, drink, gab, and play at the same time. Priorities! It was $10 to play, and we all brought our own drinks as some didn’t drink alcohol and some enjoyed a drink or two. Going to the local pub was way more expensive!

The night was always filled with laughter and fun. We had a hard rule of “no negative talk about the spouses”. We weren’t in the business of destroying marriages with negative influences. The night was about uplifting 12 women and bring joy into our lives.

We could be ourselves, cuss, tease, laugh, and be extremely competitive if we wanted. We loved the authenticity each person brought to the table and loved them as themselves. New insights and different perspectives on topics were refreshing.

Sometimes the topics were light, but sometimes they got heavy. When that happened someone was sure to lighten the mood again with their quick wit.

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Hostess duties were shared through a random draw box that was reset every year. The hostess would provide the food, and buy the prizes.

The Prizes were:

Most Bunco – valued at $20
Last Bunco – valued at $20
High Score – valued at $20
Low Score – valued at $20
Hostess Gift – valued at $40

This simple idea turned into 12 years of Ladies’ Night Out for me. I was one of the originals that started the group and stayed until we moved cities last year. Over the years the group changed as some ladies moved on and others joined us.

I’ve gained valuable friendships throughout these years and all with ladies that I would have never met if it wasn’t for this Ladies Night Out. I’m truly grateful for every one of the ladies I’ve met and gotten to know over the years. I miss them dearly and miss my Ladies Night Out now. It is definitely on my To-Do List!

Ladies Night Out doesn’t need to be fancy or a lot of work to organize. You can make the night the way you want in your stage of life. What is important is that you make the decision to get out with friends to connect, meet new people, and laugh.

No kids, no spouse, just the ladies and a whole lot of laughter. It is not only great for the abs but it will help with your mental health. You will be breaking up the mundane routine of your life and treating yourself to some of the best therapy possible. Ladies Night Out is great for your mental health.

When are you planning your Ladies Night Out?