Tis the season to be relating
The seasonal music reminds us that “there’s no place like home for the holidays” and that “love is all around us.” It’s got me thinking about relationships, and how we can attend to them, even in the midst of this busy time of year.
Recently, I have made a choice to be intentional about reaching out to old friends. One is a former housemate, with whom I hadn’t spoken in over a decade. I had a feeling it was time to connect with her, and lo and behold, right after I had that thought, she messaged me on Facebook! That is the power of clear intention. Come to find out that we are going through very similar changes in our lives, and now we’ve rekindled our supportive and full-of-laughs friendship over texting and phone calls. Reconnecting with Wendy has really added positive, healing energy to my life!
Relationships are a significant, though often overlooked, factor in our emotional well-being. In an excellent 2016 report titled Relationships in the 21st Century, the forgotten foundation of mental health and wellbeing from the UK-based charity, the Mental Health Foundation, many points are made about the positive impact of relationships upon our quality of life and even our life expectancy. Here are a few quotes from the report; I urge you to follow the link above to read more.
“Having a friend who is happy and lives close by can increase happiness by as much as 25%. Similar results have been found for cohabitant spouses (8%), siblings (14%) and next-door neighbors (34%).”
And apropos to our recent presidential election: “Recognizing the importance of good relationships and defining new ways of developing and maintaining strong social connections are integral to our well-being as a nation.”
Is there someone in your life with whom you could choose to foster a closer relationship? Perhaps a neighbor with whom you could go on walks together, or meet for coffee? An old friend you would like to reconnect with? Don’t hesitate! ‘Tis the season!
Be very well this holiday season! I look forward to sharing more with you in the New Year, and tending to the relationships being formed and enhanced through this blog. I am so grateful to you — my readers!
