Social Health
The Guardian on the importance of other people to your health and well-being.
Decades of research have proven that connection is as essential as food and water, but this knowledge hasn’t yet made its way into the mainstream understanding of health – and without it, we’re suffering..
Today, many people show signs of social health in decline. Over the past 30 years, the percentage of Americans with 10 or more close friends dropped by 20%. Over the past 20 years, the amount of time people spent alone increased by an average of 24 hours a month. Over the past 10 years, participation in communities, such as book clubs, sports leagues and neighborhood associations, fell by nearly 20%. And according to a national survey in 2019, about half of adults in the US felt as if no one knew them well.
The New York Times Magazine has some ideas about fixes (and the difficulty implementing them) here: Why Is the Lonliness Epidemic So Hard to Cure?
Volunteering & Mental Health
Old article, good idea–volunteering in order to feel better.
It’s generally understood that helping out others makes a person feel nice, but that experience goes beyond just the feel-good glow of altruism. Studies have found that helping others has tangible benefits, both mental and physical, from lowering your blood pressure to reducing feelings of depression. And research hasn’t found any significant difference in the types of volunteering—any kind of helpful act can create benefits.
Here are a couple of lists (also not brand new) of places to volunteer. Just as easy: think of what’s bothering you in the wider world and find an organization dedicated to fixing it. Someone’s started one, for sure.
Phone Withdrawal
On dialing back from five hours of screen time a day (NYT):
For two solid days, I basked in 19th-century leisure, feeling my nerves softening and my attention span stretching back out. I read books. I did the crossword puzzle. I lit a fire and looked at the stars. I felt like Thoreau, if Thoreau periodically wondered what was happening on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Instagram story.
Something to try?
How Are Emotions Made?
Psychologist-slash-neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett challenges the idea that emotions are innate and universal.
Instead, she has shown that emotion is constructed in the moment, by core systems that interact across the whole brain, aided by a lifetime of learning…This new theory means that you play a much greater role in your emotional life than you ever thought.
So, maybe some help in taking a step back from thoughts and feelings. Read her book for the full explanation. Or just dip in a toe via the TED talk below or articles on her site.
Enjoy.
Tried Daydreaming?
Put down the phone for a minute. Daydreaming may make your more socially adept (Scientific American).
When our brains are not otherwise occupied, a network of neural regions called the default mode network automatically comes online. It enables us to turn our attention inward and daydream, but it also helps us to project out and put ourselves in other people’s shoes.
“One of the main reasons—or adaptive potentials—to take breaks, even short breaks throughout our day-to-day life, is to help us retain information longer and transfer it into long-term memory,” Andrews-Hanna notes. “The Meyer study is the first to extend these findings to social information and our memory of other people.”
A couple of reports on earlier daydreaming research:
Therapists v. Post-Election Stress
Another day, another stressful election. And they’ll keep on coming. Here’s an NYT roundup of therapist advice about just how exactly to cope.
[T]herapists report that many of their patients are even more upset as they struggle to make sense of the direction in which the country is heading. And many can’t tear themselves away from the news…
“Use your anxiety to motivate you,” [Dr. Stephen Hayes] said. “Think about what you value most and take action.” Taking action can help to instill the sense that you have some control over your environment — what psychologists call perceived self-efficacy — and leave you feeling less stressed.
Breathing v. Stress
The NYT illustrates some approaches to controlled breathing:
Controlled breathing…has been shown to reduce stress, increase alertness and boost your immune system. For centuries yogis have used breath control, or pranayama, to promote concentration and improve vitality. Buddha advocated breath-meditation as a way to reach enlightenment.
Science is just beginning to provide evidence that the benefits of this ancient practice are real. Studies have found, for example, that breathing practices can help reduce symptoms associated with anxiety, insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and attention deficit disorder.
Meaning v. Happiness
NYT relays four “well-being workouts” from Dr. Martin Seligman.
“Psychology is generally focused on how to relieve depression, anger and worry,” he said…“What makes life worth living,” he said, “is much more than the absence of the negative.”
To Dr. Seligman, the most effective long-term strategy for happiness is to actively cultivate well-being.
In his 2012 book, “Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-Being,” he explored how well-being consists not merely of feeling happy (an emotion that can be fleeting) but of experiencing a sense of contentment in the knowledge that your life is flourishing and has meaning beyond your own pleasure.
Goals for 2017
Here’s an oldie but not-baddie: the New Year’s Resolution worksheet I once-upon-a-time put together for residents at the 28-day crisis program where I used to work. It’s been posted here before, but…it’s a new year again, so here it is.
Sometimes resolving to take on new, better behaviors just sets you up for disappointment. There’s some wisdom in abstaining from the whole process. But, if you’re going to give resolutions a shot, the worksheet can be helpful in getting them structured. It asks, what are your goals for the coming year, what are behaviors would you like to change, what are attitudes do you hope to adjust. Then, once narrowed to resolutions, you’re prompted to break each item down into steps. “So you want to ____________; what’s the first action you have to take to get there?”
It was helpful for the residential program folks. It could help you too.
Either way, Happy New Year!
Anxious in Los Angeles
With all the uncertainty following the November election, anxiety is spiking. Worry and fear can show up for different people in vastly different ways. Here’s an article that sums up some of the possibilities. If you’ve been anxious lately, something here is likely look familiar. Also, up top in the article, some simple suggestions:
- Make it a priority to connect face-to-face with supportive people
- Move your body frequently—don’t sit for more than an hour
- Get the full amount of restful sleep that you require
- Learn about and practice relaxation techniques
May seem over simple–but these little steps can help a lot.