Last week we talked about your finances. For those who downloaded my Excel Budget Spread Sheet, did you find it helpful? I hope so. I’m sure all categories don’t specifically apply to you. But they are easy to change to meet your specific needs.
This week we are going to look at the area of your social life/network. I wrote about relationships weeks ago and how important having healthy relationships are to your well-being. So where does social life come into play and why is it important?
Your Social Life
Your social life is defined as what you do with your non-work time. What do you do to have fun? What do you do to hang out with other people? It’s been a hard year with all the lockdowns. This has done much harm to the mental health of many people. Studies are being done to determine if the lockdowns have done more harm than the virus that has a 99.7% recovery. I had a client that their parents basically said, “I want to see my children and grandchildren. I’d rather die of covid than this isolation.” I truly understand.
We all need a social life. We all need to have a network of friends and acquaintances that we meet with to enjoy life and similar interests. There are seasons in life where we can have major changes in our social network and it’s so easy to allow ourselves to be isolated. Sometimes we must make a concentrated effort to reach out and meet new people.
Studies show that isolation can cause pre-mature death.
It can cause depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. It can affect chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease. There is also a 50% increase in dementia. Being around people is so important. I think if we have another virus pop its head, people will not tolerate the isolation again. Of course, take precautions with vulnerable people if you are sick. But isolation is not the answer … especially for healthy people who have no symptoms.
Are you in that place of feeling isolated and alone?
Are you not sure how to meet new people? Here are some ideas that might help propel you to take that step of faith to move into meeting new friends into your life.
- Church or Synagogue
- Local Chamber
- Local political party
- Volunteer at a non-Profit that you love and support
- Knitting Group
- Sewing Group
- com and look for a group of your liking and interest
- Dating website
- Play an adult sport
- Join a gym or fitness club
- Join a ballroom dance group like a Fred Astaire
- Join or start a book club
- Join or start a wine club or a cooking club
- Take nice walks with your dog in places that are full of people
- Go to the beach or a lake
- Join social media platform
- Take adult classes at your local community college
- Visit your local coffee shop for a cup of coffee
- Visit your local winery
- Visit your local museum, zoo, national park, or aquarium
I hope these ideas will wet your palette and give you some options to expand your social network.
If you would like to talk this through or like some coaching in this area, feel free to Reach out here for us to connect Remember, I’m here for you.
Your Spiritual Life and Health Coach … believing in you!