People with strong social relationships are less likely to die prematurely. Sharing our lives with others has a significant impact on our long term physical and mental health. How? Interaction :
- Boosts well-being
- Builds independence
- Encourages new experiences and trying new things
- Improves mental health
- Promotes resilience
- Gets you out of your comfort zone
- Reduces stress and blood pressure
- Creates a sense of purpose
Friend Secret: We don’t need to concern ourselves with the quantity of friends we have. Our priority should be the quality and depth of those relationships.
One person cannot fulfill all your needs, even if you’ve known them for many years, even if you’re married to them, even if you knew them in the third grade. The people in our lives fulfill our unique needs—humor, companionship, caregiving, sports partners, problem solving, health concerns, and maybe even fixing our plumbing. So, first accept that you may need more than one significant relationship in your life. You cannot rely solely on your spouse or life partner. It’s not fair to them, and you know intuitively that others fill some gaps that your partner cannot.
These were valuable lessons that I retain today with a twist:
- Surround yourself with positive people.
- Do not judge your friends’ weaknesses because if you do, in the long run, you’ll have no friends.
- Identify your friends’ strong skills and seek them out when you need that particular strength.
- Do not take people for granted; say “thank you.”
- Remember to reciprocate—be a great friend.
Mudge Nudge: True friendships balance out over time. Be sure to schedule friend time on your calendar so that the business of life doesn’t take over.
To buy my book, Five Alive: https://amzn.to/2K70zp3