Meaningful Relationships to Enrich Your Mental Health
By Sabine Dorothy Docteur
As a collective, we are probably most accustomed to disconnecting and taking a sabbatical in order to reset and take care of our mental health. We must take a look at how meaningful connections could facilitate countless joy, a boost to our moods, and overall greater well-being. Human beings are social creatures at our very core and cannot discount the effects that significant connections have on our everyday lives. Friendships and romantic relationships offer an extensive number of benefits such as decreased levels of stress, improved self-worth, increased happiness, and confidence, to name a few. Friends, family, and our romantic partner all have different roles in our lives, but all collectively add to our sense of belonging.
Increasing Our Quality of Life Through Connections
Evidence of how connections can affect us positively and negatively could be most obvious when we are away from our core group of family and friends. For example, when I was away at graduate school, I experienced moments of loneliness simply due to the fact that I could not drive down the street to see my aunts, uncles, and cousins. Although we have the ability to connect now because the various technological advances has changed. We are able to video-call and see our loved ones. There are many options which have made connecting easier, so we should not overlook it. In fact, taking advantage of it is bound to improve our health. Research has shown that social connections can put people at a lower risk of suicide. Individuals who are found to have fewer connections to family and friends have been shown to experience mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression.
Lifetime Benefits
Building stronger connections may increase feelings of happiness and contentment in life. Because of the sense of purpose, when we connect with others, we understand even if for the simple fact that we exist to be a friend or a relative to that particular person. Furthermore, connections ultimately keep even physical disorders at bay, by having great effects on our mental health. Our overall health is interconnected and when our mental health is thriving, we have the possibility of living longer lives. There is good news, even for those who think they are loners! Meaningful relationships are not about quantity, but about quality. When we spend time with our family and friends, the quality of the time spent is what matters.
Having a community of individuals who can surround and uplift you in your time of need is paramount to a continued healthy state of mind. Ultimately, feeling supported through meaningful connections is fundamental to great mental health.
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