Editor's note: This is the third in a four-part series abut the importance of connections in our lives.
Loneliness is lethal. Lack of social connection is equal to the risk of smoking fifteen cigarettes a day, and is greater than the risk associated with obesity, excess alcohol consumption, and lack of exercise.
Hutchinson Connects, a local group that promotes social connections, believes ties to those around us can curb and defeat loneliness. Social connections can help us heal our sorrows, feel seen and heard, offer us comfort when we are sad, move forward after a setback, improve our health, sleep better, create access to resources and information, and more.
Social connectedness includes more than just our closest relationships. We also all have a need, at any age, to connect to something bigger than ourselves. Culture, faith, social causes or professions often fill that role for many people. We may not dedicate our lives to a cause or join the traveling cultural choir (although some might), but finding something that is meaningful to you, that you are part of in a big or small way, and taking some time to appreciate your connection is valuable to your mental well-being.
Hutchinson Connects offers these ideas:
- Contributing to your community helps your well-being too! Volunteering as a family is also a great tradition. Find a volunteer opportunity that is meaningful to you. Visit your local community center or your faith community to find what is right for you.
- Being part of something bigger than ourselves is important at any age! What matters most to you? Is it your culture, your faith, a social cause, the purpose you find in your work? Try one of these assessments if you need guidance: tinyurl.com/fkdaa9up, or tinyurl.com/35y4r8yj.
- Being part of the change that we want to see can be a healing endeavor, especially when you have experienced collective trauma like racism or heterosexism. Look for outlets in local cultural newspapers or radio programs, or check out tinyurl.com/4ddpzykf.
- Strong emotional connections to colleagues improves productivity and well-being! Create a team environment! Help each other and ask for help. Check out the Seattle Pike Place video for inspiration: tinyurl.com/y8yeyd65.
Here are some reflection questions to help you think about ways to grow your community connections:
- What do you like about your community (cultural, faith, work, or neighborhood)? How do others contribute to that factor? Can you help support that good thing that you love? Can you connect with others who like that same thing (for example, hiking clubs)?
- How can you make others feel welcome in your community?
- Where do you feel a sense of community now, or where have you felt it in the past?
- What do you care about in your community?
- What are the big and little ways you can participate in your community?
- What are your personal strengths and how can you use them to support what you care about most?
Want to learn more about connecting? Hutchinson Connects works with community groups to sponsor events such as One Book One Community, National Night Out and similar activities. We can be reached at hutchinsonconnects@gmail.com.
