The Pearls of Life:
101 Simple Ways to Health and Happiness
Stay Connected
Social isolation
is known to cause poor physical health. People who have few and weak
relationships tend to be two to four times more likely to die than those
who are socially connected. Studies have shown that people who have
friends are more likely to recover from major surgeries, and less likely
to get cancer.
Having close relationships with friends and family is also good for your mental health. It has been shown to protect the brain from damages that causes memory loss and declining functions.
What exactly is
social connectedness? Having social connections means being involved
with other people, and making others believe that they are loved,
esteemed, and/or cared for. In a sense, social connectedness makes one
feel like being a member of a family. However, the members of this
family are not necessarily linked to each other through blood or by
marriage. Any two or more people can make up such a family. What is
important in social connectedness is the sense of fitting in, not the
number of friends or acquaintances one has.
How social
connectedness affects our health positively is not clear. It may exert
its influences in different ways. Being like part of a larger self and
feeling cared for or esteemed may induce changes that promote health in
our bodies and psyches. It is also possible that by interacting with
other people, we tend to do things that enhance health, such as being
more physically active or eating more healthfully.
No matter the
mechanism, we shall reap the benefit of this source of pleasure and
well-being.
- Strengthen existing relationships—with lifetime
partner, children, grandchildren, parents, friends, etc. There are
always new things to learn about the people we already know. As we grow
and change, there are always new things for other people to learn about
us as well.
- Reach out to
others.
- Make new
friends.
- Get a pet or a
pet project. Research has shown that nonhuman bonds can also be
important to our health. Examples of this are the bond between a person
and his or her pet, or perhaps the attachment a person has to the plants
in his or her garden.
- Have hobbies.
- Volunteer.