Did you know that staying socially connected is as important to your wellbeing as eating your greens! Staying connected to those around you is key to our physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

Healthy social connections provide us with that nice, reassuring feeling that you belong, that you are a valued friend or family member. When you have strong social connections, you feel a greater sense of satisfaction in your life.

Humans are biologically driven to connect with others. We are social creatures, so it is natural to feel the desire to connect with others. Staying social connected even improves our immune system and helps us recover from disease; it can even increase our life expectancy! People that have strong social connections tend to have higher self-esteem, with less anxiety and depression.

We may believe that our happiness comes from material objects, money, power or beauty and that’s possibly true, for a short time, but these desires won’t deliver lasting satisfaction and joy. For at the origin of these beliefs is the need we have to belong and that only truly comes from our connections with others.

The sense of social connection is internal. If you feel connected to others from a place within, then you will reap the benefits. This is empowering, as we can take responsibility for our own state of mind and foster an internal sense of connection. Life’s circumstances don’t always allow for us to be surrounded by those we feel closest to, but we can still nurture our connections from within.

Some simple ways to create more social connectivity in your life include:
* Prioritize time spent with your family and friends, schedule it in and turn the TV off! Share experiences such as having meals together to strengthen connections.
* Be brave and initiate a conversation with someone new every day.
* Make the effort to phone people – it’s all too easy to get into the habit of only ever texting, messaging or emailing people. If distance is a barrier use Skype or FaceTime.
* Think about a friend or family member who could do with some support and contact them. Acts of Altruism are a win-win!
* Join sporting teams, community groups or volunteer your time at local community groups, schools or hospitals.
* Recognize five people in your life that you feel you can turn to when you need to talk.
* For your benefit and for those around you, be courageous and embrace new and old relationships in your life. Foster and treasure your connections from within and feel the immediate difference this makes to your sense satisfaction and well-being.