{"id":3309,"date":"2019-09-16T12:08:45","date_gmt":"2019-09-16T16:08:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/?p=3309"},"modified":"2021-09-17T05:22:50","modified_gmt":"2021-09-17T09:22:50","slug":"connections-matter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/connections-matter\/","title":{"rendered":"Connections Matter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Throughout your life, the number and strength of your\nrelationships affect your mental and physical wellbeing. Social ties affect not\nonly your personal health but also extend to broader society. People who spend\nmore time with each other forge happy, productive communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The benefits of social connections and good mental health\nare many. Proven links include lower rates of anxiety and depression, higher\nself-esteem, greater empathy, and more trusting and cooperative relationships.\nStrong, healthy relationships can also help to strengthen your immune system,\nhelp you recover from disease, and may even lengthen your life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While many of these benefits can make you happier and more\ncontented, there\u2019s also a flow-on effect, whereby people around you will want\nto spend time with you. In this way, social connectedness generates a positive\nfeedback loop of social, emotional and physical wellbeing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In contrast, loneliness can have dramatic consequences for\nyour health. Loneliness can lead to disrupted sleep patterns, elevated blood\npressure, and increased stress hormone. It can affect your immune system and\ndecrease your overall sense of contentment. Loneliness is also a risk factor\nfor antisocial behavior, depression, and suicide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Older people are particularly&nbsp;vulnerable. If your\nmobility decreases, it can be harder to get together with other people.\nHowever, older people who remain connected with others and have strong\nrelationships are likely to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>have a better quality of life <\/li><li>be more satisfied with their life<\/li><li>have a lower risk of dementia and mental decline<\/li><li>need less domestic support.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Younger people are also at risk when they are isolated. A\nlack of social relationships can have a direct impact on a young person\u2019s\nphysical wellbeing by increasing the risk of obesity, inflammation and high\nblood pressure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These three health issues can lead to long-term health\nproblems, including heart disease, stroke, and cancer, but a varied social\nnetwork can help protect against physical decline. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"204\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/FKSG-Post-20212-1024x204.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5289\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/FKSG-Post-20212-1024x204.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/FKSG-Post-20212-300x60.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/FKSG-Post-20212-768x153.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/FKSG-Post-20212-1536x306.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/FKSG-Post-20212-2048x408.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>It is important to recognize that loneliness differs from\nsolitude. Feeling lonely is a problem, but being alone may not be a problem at\nall. Many people live alone and have happy, fulfilling lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Feeling lonely is hard to cope with. Luckily, there are\nthings you can do to tackle loneliness. For instance, you can nurture healthy\nrelationships with people who make you feel good by spending time with\nthem&nbsp;and trying to talk to someone every day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Think about the relationships you have with people, and the\nrelationships you would like to have. You might find you want to make new\nfriendships, or perhaps you want to make your existing relationships stronger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are lots of ways to meet new people like joining a\nsports team or a walking or hobby group, or volunteering. Call your local\ncouncil to find out about local groups or programs or visit your local community\ncenter or library&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;there is always something happening in your\ncommunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not all strategies will work for everyone, so try some\ndifferent approaches to see what works for you. If the first thing you try does\nnot work out, try something different. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Throughout your life, the number and strength of your relationships affect your mental and physical wellbeing. Social ties affect not only your personal health but also extend to broader society. People who spend more time with each other forge happy, productive communities. The benefits of social connections and good mental health are many. Proven links&hellip;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/connections-matter\/\" class=\"\" rel=\"bookmark\">Read More &raquo;<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Connections Matter<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4833,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[141],"tags":[301,576,743],"class_list":["post-3309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mental-health","tag-connections","tag-loneliness","tag-relationships"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3309","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3309"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3309\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5365,"href":"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3309\/revisions\/5365"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fksg.org\/test1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}