You can find medicines to
help you feel better and technology to help you look younger, but modern
science is still not able to duplicate the power of social connections when it
comes to your overall well-being.
Jeffrey Rosensweig, Ph.D. tells us in his insightful book “Age Smart,”
that good social relationships not only keep us from being lonely but they help
us overcome many health risk factors.
Social connections are
important at any age. We all have an inherent need to know that we are not
alone. Having great social ties is one of the best ways to alleviate
stress. We all know that stress is
detrimental to our health and well-being so stop being so independent and let
other people know that you need and love them.
The single thing that most
people miss when they retire is the socialization derived from the workplace. It isn’t as easy to make friends as you get
older. When you retire, you are no
longer out in the word meeting new people every day. Your isolation may be even more compounded if
you have lost a spouse or other close friends to old age or disease. It is important to remain active and engaged
but there is no automatic support group for seniors. When we are children we had school and all of
the activities related to school. When
we started our careers we met people every day and social interactions were
effortless. As we grow older, the number
of people that we interact with on a daily basis starts to shrink and life can
becomes very lonely.
What are the options? There aren’t as many choices out there as
when we were younger. The best success
stories occur for people who plan ahead for this contingency. People have no trouble thinking about
financial planning but seldom think about nurturing a vibrant social life. So, what will it be? You might consider starting a second career,
diving into a hobby, start dating if you are not in a relationship, or embark
on some serious volunteer work. The
important thing is that you realize just how important relationships are to
your well-being.
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