You are strong. You are capable – and if you’re like many other women, you also feel alone and isolated at times.
Loneliness has a very real impact on our overall health and wellness and statistics show that the number of women (and men – this is not a gender specific issue) who report feeling isolated and alone, is rising. In a world where we are often surrounded by people, where we can instantly connect online, why is this happening?
When I was young, finding friends was so much easier. School provided opportunities to meet and stay connected with other kids. Recess and after school involved a lot of free play time, with kids in my neighbourhood. As a family, we visited relatives a lot and many of my cousins were also my friends (How lovely is it when you can include family in your friend list, right?)
As I got older, many friendships faded away, some due to distance when I moved away from home, some simply because our interests and lives moved in different directions, and some because the friendships took a back seat to other priorities, like work, taking care of a home, children and aging parents.
My story is not unique. Many, many women have similar stories. Often, losing those connections makes us feel isolated, even when surrounded by work colleagues and family members. The feeling of isolation is mental, because we don’t have anyone to talk to who understands where we are at, what we are going through.
But here’s the thing: Good friends are just as important to your overall health and wellness as eating well and moving consistently. Friends can increase your sense of belonging and purpose, boost happiness, reduce stress, improve feelings of self-worth and self-confidence. Adults with strong social connections have a reduced risk of many significant health problems, including depression, high blood pressure and an unhealthy (BMI).
So how do we go about making friends as adults?
· Who is in your social circle right now you’d like to get to know better? Reach out and extend an invitation to meet.
· Reconnect with previous friends, including the family members who were on your friends list.
· Look for groups of people doing things you like to do.
· Recognize that not everyone you connect with will become a close friend – and that’s ok!
· Be the friend you seek, to those already in your circle and new ones as they enter.
· Remember, it’s not a popularity contest. The quality of the friendship is more important than number of friends.
Just like any other change you make to improve your wellness, trial and error is involved. Some things won’t work out the way you’d hoped. Some will work out better than you believed possible. There will be setbacks and some disappointments along the way, but when you commit to taking action, the results – new or restored friendships – will happen.
If you want to expand your circle of friends, what is one thing you will do today to make that happen?