Dear Friends
Last week we talked about the importance of having good close connections to strengthen resilience (through family, friends, and community) when things go wrong. We also talked about how to be there for those we rely on – how to be a better listener and supporter.
In keeping with this theme we want to spotlight another beautiful family photo this week – this time taken by Angelee Sulgan. We love how everyone is wearing red (for Valentine’s Day we assume).
This is my fam, I always grateful that give them to me :)))
It turns out that these good connections to other people makes life better in myriad ways – as well as being more resilient, people with good, close relationships/connections to others have more well-being and are more likely to be flourishing and healthier.
Here is an excellent questionnaire from The New York Times which serves as a diagnostic to measure your own flourishing. Notice how much good connections to other people matter – two out of the ten questions are concerned with the quality of your relationships. Moreover the national average before the pandemic was a score of 70 and during the pandemic it went down to 65 – a reflection perhaps of the stress our relationships are under given the isolation we have all endured.
An article from The Blue Zones tells us that people with good relationships have healthier hearts. This publication was based upon the Framingham study in which risk factors for cardiovascular disease were identified. The subjects were smoking, had family members with early heart disease, and were prone to elevated cholesterol, diabetes mellitus, and high blood pressure. Surprisingly, there were other factors that could override these risks and these factors were social – having good connections and relationships to others.
There are so many good reasons to cultivate new friends, nurture old friendships, value family, and immerse ourselves in our communities of choice.
Having good connections protects your heart.
Warmly,
The SeeingHappy Team ❤️
