How Critical are 3 AM Friends for You?

On Friendship Day – August 7, sheatwork speculates on how important a role can ‘3 AM friends’ play in your life.

We all know that good friends help you steer through less-travelled paths in the journey of ‘life’. When things don’t seem rosy and nice, it’s your friend who can prop you up and make you believe in yourself, and can pull us out of our darkest phase. A true friend will always suggest the right things for you. Whether you are right or wrong, your friend will always match steps with you; and friends are your best critiques too. No wonder, many people have friends at the centre of their lives!

Perhaps it would seem that dedicating one day to friendship is probably not enough!! And that’s why globally there are multiple friendship days, celebrated on different days. In India as well as some other countries, Friendship Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of August, and this year we come face-to-face with it on August 7, 2022.

In friendship there is a wide variety and we often build a different bonding with each friend. But, looking at an offbeat option, do people have 3 AM friends? A little research will reveal that yes, people do have 3 AM friends!! They hold a unique place in our hearts. To be frank, a person who is referred to as a ‘3 AM friend’ means that he or she is very dependable and critical in your life. A 3 AM friend is someone whom you can talk to even at odd hours, without the fear of being judged. They not only listen to you but make you feel loved, special and also make you totally comfortable.

How important are 3 AM friends for women who have chosen to start off on their own? We asked around a few questions and these were some answers we got. What is the role of friends in your worklife as an entrepreneur? Specially, who is your 3 AM friend?

> Mohua Chinappa, author of Nautanki Saala And Other Stories & Founder and Host of popular podcast –“The Mohua Show”

“The role of friends is as important as the air we breathe, the exercise we do and it is the very basic tenet of an emotionally healthy life.

My 3.00 am friends are my school friends. I would especially name my classmate Ashu Kaur, who lives in the UK. Through the last few years of great difficulties in my personal life and in my emotional upheavals, she was there like a rock, never judging but always listening with the intent to give me courage.

I am nothing without my band of school friends – Bhavna and also Shimonti Sinha and without their good morning texts I have not started a single day, since many years now!”

> Himani Mishra, Founder & Managing Director, Brand Radiator
“For me the Entrepreneurial journey is one which requires self-motivation to move at every step, and my friends play a pivotal role in helping me move (even a dead body!) successfully on this path! My real deal friends have always made it possible for me to sail through happily even in the most trying of situations, like spending 11 days in a squalid quarter with them & yet come out laughing & refreshed.

Rishabh Rajarshi is one such buddy of mine, whom I can reach out to even at 3 AM without any second thoughts. This champ not only lends a sympathetic ear when I need it, but is also always ready with a shovel to hurt the person that made me upset, and also carries for me a new, smooth road-building plan and materials with him always.”
> Parbati Bhattacharya, Founder, Wanderer’s Footprints

“Friends have been my motivator and inspiration in many cases. There have been friends who have supported me outright and there have been friends, who have rejected me outright, taunted me on my abilities, but it only made my resolve stronger and determined.

I am lucky and blessed to have many friends who I can call whenever I want and they will be by my side. Friendship doesn’t come with conditions, it’s not restricted by time and space.”

> Shraddha Bhavalkar, Co-Founder & CEO, GetSetGo Fitness

“Friendships are extremely essential in life they help you understand yourself better.

As an entrepreneur I always find myself in situations I have never faced before, it gets overwhelming sometimes, and the only place I can confide in are my friends.

I am lucky that my co-founders (Melvin, Akash and Varun) are my closest friends alongwith my besties from school and college – Mithila, Ananya, Ramya. With them there is no pressure of constantly being my best or being judged. It’s my safe place to discuss anything and everything.

Who do I call at 3 AM? It depends on what I need to share… if you know what I mean. Lol.”