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Family, Friends, and Co-workers: Connecting For Whole Health

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Family, Friends, and Co-workers: Connecting For Whole Health

Overview

Forging healthy bonds with family, friends, and co-workers is important for your Whole Health. Caring, supportive relationships can reduce stress and improve your well-being. It’s worthwhile to strengthen and improve your connections with other people and your community.

Why do relationships matter?

Relationships can affect your emotional, mental, and physical health. When dealing with other people, you may feel emotions that cause physical reactions in your body. Good relationships can make you happier and healthier. Spending time with loved ones and pets can lower your stress and even make you less likely to catch a cold!

Some relationships can be challenging — we all have those in our lives. Conflicts and hurtful interactions can make you anxious, sick, and depressed. Many people need help to manage difficult relationships, and VA has experts in Whole Health Coaching, Chaplains, and Mental Health experts who can support you.

Here's more

The quality of your relationships matters much more than the quantity. It may be better to have a few people you are close with rather than a lot of people you don’t know well. Feeling listened to and connected with people is an integral part of healthy relationships.

Think about who has your back. Spend time with those people and strengthen those bonds. Improve any relationship by adopting gratitude and forgiveness.

Everyone needs to feel they belong. This sense of belonging, or “social connectedness,” is also important for Whole Health.

Take action

Here are some ways you can foster more meaningful connections with family, friends, and co-workers:

  • Volunteer. Volunteering is a great way to meet people and help others at the same time. Research shows that volunteering boosts your own happiness and self-esteem.
  • Connect. Find online and community-based groups to connect with people who share your interests. Join a religious or spiritual community. Consider fostering or adopting a pet; bonding with a pet may increase your trust in others and inspire you to be closer to humans, too. You can even start your own Veterans Social group with the support of VA and participate in Whole Health activities at your local VA facility.
  • Engage. Help organize community events by joining a steering committee or board. Attend important community events like civic celebrations or fundraisers.
  • Play. Take a class or join a hobby or interest group.

Explore further

Check out these resources to help you work on your relationships with others.

  1. Live Whole Health #180: Finding connection, inside and out
  2. Air Force Veteran Learns Value of Relationships - Whole Health
  3. VA Mental Health
  4. Veterans Social
  5. Learn more about Whole Health activities at your local VA facility

Videos

Whole Health: Family, Friends, and Co-Workers - George
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