Why learning to connect with others is good for your health

We work very hard to be successful, to grow at a job, to find love even. There are books that teach us how to be confident, to be fearless, to seize the moment, to eat better, etc. While these are all of course very important for our personal development, what I find as a Mind-Body Wellness Specialist, to be far, far more important both to humanity and to our personal health is being able to truly connect with others.

Feeling lonely and alienated and divided from the world is the cause of many people’s true I’ll health issues. After all, it is widely known that disease can manifest or be cured in the mind. The feeling of having no one to reach out to, of being unable to connect makes us feel unhappy, unloved, uncared for and as if we having nothing to live for. Some of my clients manifested this by being overweight because of comfort eating, others struggled with long-term chronic issues because that was something tangible that brought them the comfort of at least medical professionals taking a momentary interest in them. You can be all alone and yet well connected with yourself and others, therefore not feeling lonely. The lack of connection is when you still feel somewhat lonely even amongst your friends, even with your partner or even when there should be no reason for this feeling; yet you feel it anyway. 

Recently, I offered to watch a small dog for a friend of mine who went away. My kids have been asking me for a dog for a long time and I thought that watching him would be a great test to see if they could truly be responsible to take care of a pet. What I discovered, however, surprised even me. Not only were my kids exceptionally mature and great at caring for the dog, but even the little negatives of having to care for this pet didn’t detract from the amazing positives that came with having him. He was constantly full of love and excitement at seeing us every time we came home and he brought us even closer together as we bonded over walking him and had to find fun and active days out that he too would enjoy. Plus, the best part was how easily he made it for us to meet strangers everywhere we went. As an adorable dog that strangers everywhere seemed to want to befriend, we finally met our new neighbours and the other people around us who too have dogs. Plus we befriended people in cafes, on the tube, just walking down a toad, etc. 

My point here is that if you are lonely, whether because you’re actually alone or in a relationship where you find yourself unable to connect, it may just take a simple twist in your usual pattern that makes a difference and changes everything. Whether it’s getting a dog (there are loads of rescue dogs that need homes by the way, or you can foster one temporarily and all dog food and care is paid for) or starting a new mediation class or just joining any kind of club or even taking a language or dance class: there are so many ways to change your usual pattern in life and to get yourself unstuck. 

If you want help or some ideas, you can book a free call with me  here .