Sep 26

Your Tribe Is Your Vibe: The Importance of Relationships.

⁉️Did you know we feel lonely when we feel like we don’t belong or don’t have a connection to others?

💡Your tribe IS your vibe!

Who you spend the most time with is important for your happiness.

🧐Think about who, after you spend time or talk with them, energizes you?

⁉️Who makes you feel good?

⁉️Who makes you feel happy?

🧐On the flip side think about who, after you spend time or talk with them, drains you?

⁉️Who makes you feel bad?

⁉️Who makes you feel unhappy?

💡Positive human connection influences our psychological safety. Spending time with people who invigorate you has a positive impact on your physical and mental health. Feeling lonely on the other hand, will negatively impact your physical and mental health.

John Cacioppa from the University of Chicago defines loneliness as,

“Perceived social isolation.”

Cacioppa further describes loneliness and what it does to you physically,

“A dangerous, not just sad condition. When we feel isolated, disconnected, and lonely, we try to protect ourselves. In that mode, we want to connect, but our brain is attempting to override connection with self-protection. That means less empathy, more defensiveness, more numbing, and less sleeping (Brown, 2019).”

💡Loneliness is a signal that we need social connection, something just as important to our health as food and water. A (2015) study on loneliness, by researchers Holt-Lunstad, Smith & Layton highlights the fundamental necessity of needing to belong,

“Living with air pollution increases your odds of dying early by 5%. Living with obesity increases your odds of dying early by 20%. Excessive drinking increases your odds of dying early by 30%. And loneliness? It increases your odds of dying early by 45%.”

😳

Relationships + Happiness.

Harvard’s Adult Development 85-year old happiness study that launched in 1938, is the world's longest-running study. This long-running study has proven that positive relationships keep us happier, healthier, and help us live longer. Period.

The quality of our relationships is the most important factor in determining our happiness. The study reveals that people with strong, supportive relationships, versus those with problematic relationships:

Maintain a sense of belonging and purpose
Feel supported and loved
Better manage stress and hardships
Have a higher quality of mental and physical health
Live longer

Social Fitness.

The act of seeking out positive relationships with people that make you feel happy is the #1 thing that helps you be healthy, happy and live longer. This ‘social fitness’ is the foundation for how humans connect with each other in regard to who:

You reach out to when you’re scared or have a crisis
Encourages you
You trust and confide in
Has been along with you on the ‘ride of life’ and really knows you
You have a romantic closeness with
You turn to for advice or help
Makes you laugh and want to spend time with (Schultz + Waldinger, 2023).

“Ultimately, there is fragility in our human connections.” 🧐

♥️Most people know that strong relationships matter in our personal lives. ⁉️💡But have you considered, that strong relationships matter just AS MUCH in our professional lives?

💯👸🏻♥️Truth, Queen!

🤩This key message is the focal point for the work I’m doing in healthcare communities. Working with predominantly female nursing teams, I talk about:

The importance of vulnerability
The ability to empower and uplift each other
Overcoming female rivalry
Fostering/nurturing a culture of psychological safety

I can’t wait to share more with you in my next update about this important work and how it’s being received.

In closing, I’ve spent the past few months cherishing valuable moments with family and friends. (The photo above was taken in with my family in South Carolina)!. I’ve also been reflecting on the connections I have and the importance of spending time with positive people in my life. As you may know, connection with the right people matters, on SO many levels. ♥️ I hope you’ve been able to do the same! It’s good to be back here with you.

♥️Today I will be fearless. Today I am grateful.

P.S. If you’re interested in learning more about psychological safety and how to deal with female frenemies, follow me on LinkedIn!