Loving Friendships and Relationships are good for your health.
In this self-made, do-it-yourself world, it's very important for us to have healthy relationships and friendships with other people, not only to maintain our mental and emotional health, but also to keep our physical health in check, as well.
Healthy relationships provide many benefits, such as:
* Making yourself more confident and more satisfied with your own self-worth
* Making you more happy and less stressed
* Empowering you to prevent unhealthy behaviors, like drinking too much or not getting enough exercise.
* Increasing your sense of belonging and purpose
* Assisting you in coping with traumas such as divorce, serious illness, job loss, or the death of a loved one
Physical and mental health benefits of having a loving relationship
- We have a longer lifespan.
According to studies, married men are healthier and live longer. Experts say that factors like less stress and the fact that in loving relationships, one partner often gives up bad habits like heavy drinking or smoking in order to keep the relationship going. In the end, healthy habits help people live longer.
If you're the type of individual who likes being alone, that's alright too, but actually trying to form a few close relationships can make a significant improvement to your mental and physical wellbeing.
Occasionally having at least one good companion (or trusted co-worker, mental health professional or consultant) to help you through issues like social anxiety or depression can end up being more than viable. It might be challenging, but it might also be just what you're looking for. Even just having one or two quality, healthy relationships in your life can have a positive impact on health.
Love, no matter how it's shown, can make people feel good and have a sense of purpose. In fact, having a sense of purpose can help you live a longer life.
- We recover much faster.
Patients with strong social support recover faster. Whether it's from friends or family, or even from a relationship with an animal, like a pet, it could help. Lower levels of stress hormones like cortisol help with healing.
Studies indicate long-term partners who have experienced heart surgery are three times more likely to survive the first three months after surgery than single patients
- Our immune systems are strengthened.
Whenever we are under a lot of stress, whether at work or at home, a cold can inevitably follow. It turns out that people who are in good relationships make more oxytocin and are less likely to get stressed, anxious or depressed.
When you're in a long-term relationship, you make less cortisol, which is a stress hormone. If you're in a healthy relationship, you will not be as sensitive to psychological stress, and having a partner can be a great way to deal with stress. There's even proof that couples who live together are happier than those who don't.
Knowing someone loves and supports you as you go about your day, even if the person is not physically present, is a psychological health booster.
Everyone faces some stress and pressure. It can come in large or small amounts, but no matter how insignificant it seems at first, it can quickly pile up and overwhelm you.
You may very well notice mood signs, such as anxiety, depression, or irritability, but stress can affect you in other ways, too. Continuous stress can contribute to:
* poor immune health
* insomnia
* poor sleep
* digestive problems
* heart problems
* diabetes
* high blood pressure
- Our blood pressure levels are lower.
The feeling of being in a good relationship makes you less worried and keeps your heart rate in check. We know that strong negative emotions can cause symptoms that look like a heart attack, which is called "broken heart syndrome." That's what makes sense. People who are in love are also more calm and more likely to exercise or do other heart-healthy things.
- We are in better physical shape.
When it's hard to stay motivated to exercise and eat well, having the support of a close friend can help you stay on track. Because we want to look and act our best for that person, new romantic relationships are a huge help for losing weight and having a healthy body. Nothing makes us want to keep our bodies in good shape more than a barrage of compliments.
Healthy relationships set the right tone for a healthy way of life. If your spouse, friends, or other loved ones encourage you to eat a healthy diet, exercise, not smoke, you're more likely to do the same thing. It's a lot easier to adopt healthy habits when you surround yourself with people who are also healthy.
- We have a healthy heart.
People who make your heart beat fast are good for the heart. Dopamine, adrenaline, and norepinephrine are released by your brain when you feel loved. This makes your heart beat faster and stronger.
- We can handle more pain.
One study found that when people saw pictures of their loved ones and significant others, they were able to handle more of the discomforts that were put on them. Showing people who were in pain random pictures of people who looked good had no effect on how they felt.
Long-term partners also said that they felt more confident about their ability to deal with post-surgery pain and that they were less worried about the surgery in general.
A little emotional support can go a long way to help someone who has had a procedure or is sick get better.
Relationships with people we love not only make us happy, but they also help us stay healthy. Happy relationships are the best medicine in the world because they help us heal faster and enjoy life more.
You know how helpful friendships can be if you've ever had a buddy with whom you could laugh, weep, and reveal your deepest secrets. A good friend or family member can cheer us up when we're down and share our happiness with us. This makes us feel more energetic about facing the world.
Reciprocity is necessary.
Although the best of your friends will be there for you through the hard times, a substantial part of a healthy relationship of any sort is reciprocity. Sometimes just listening to a person and trying to understand their perspective without thinking of your next rebuttal is all a person needs.
When it comes to healthy relationships, always think quality-over-quantity. Superficial or shallow friendships don't often offer much in the way of moral support. You might have teammates, drinking friends, or workout associates, but if you don’t have anyone to confide in, you’ll likely experience a sense of isolation, and sadness. So many people are feeling lonely these days.
Even though technology has made it easier for us to connect with anyone in the world with the click of a button, having hundreds of friends online isn't the same as a few people who you can really connect with. This doesn't mean that you can't have friends online. Just try to remember to prioritize in-person interactions
A lot of research shows that social networking doesn't always lead to a bigger real-life network, so even though you can join chat groups and message boards, it's not encouraged.
So, what are some things that make a good friend?
It's important to have a good friend who is interested in your life and will listen to you without judging or changing the subject. A good friend will also share things about themselves, so you can have an open exchange of vulnerability and trust.
Having a friend is a two-way street. Both people must be able to support and accept each other. In this way, we build and share a bond of trust and loyalty.
How to make new friends:
There are many ways you can get involved in your community. You can join a faith-based group or take up a new hobby, volunteer for a charity, get a part-time job, walk around your neighborhood, reach out to positive acquaintances from the past, or even accept some of the invitations to social events and gatherings that you might not have thought about.
Don’t be dependent on the outcome of these light-hearted interactions. Make sure you have a friendly attitude and demeanor when you meet people, even if they don't become friends right away. This can help you improve the relationships in your life and start the process of friendship with people you meet for the first time.
Be kind, listen, open up, and show that you can be trusted.
Always keep in mind that it's never too late to make new friends or reconnect with old ones. When you spend time making friends and strengthening your friendships, it can pay off in numerous emotional, mental and physical health benefits for years to come.
Cited Sources:
https://healthcare.utah.edu/healthfeed/postings/2017/02/relationships.php
https://healthcare.utah.edu/healthfeed/postings/2016/12/grief_death.php
https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/5-benefits-of-healthy-relationships
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5223438/
https://www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-friendship#resilience
https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/psychological-benefits-of-friendship
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/425958/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/friendships/art-20044860