“Connection is the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgement; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship.”

- Brene Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection.

Human’s are social creatures. For millennia we have survived as a species because of our reliance on interconnectedness and community. The security and advancement of resources, agriculture technologies, medicine, sports, and nearly every other aspect of life that we enjoy each day was made possible by our ability to leverage the roles and responsibilities of each person that keeps our society moving forward and communicating new discoveries that allow more people thrive in security. Our ability to work together towards a common goal, under shared values is one of the reasons that humans are so effective at driving change – for widespread health and widespread harm alike.

The need for safe, non-judgemental connection is pervasive and exists as a basic psychological need for every person alive. What was once and adaptation that pressed humans form families, reproduce, and join together to form communities as a safety net against a hostile, wild environment now manifests in our modern age of social media as dedication to widespread communities based on teams, ideologies, nations, political parties, and other intangible bases. While we still form our cliques, tolerance towards the people in our daily interactions appears to be running thinner as we attempt to escape interpersonal conflicts for virtual substitutes, some of us suffering from such deficiencies of genuine and safe connection.

“In a recent survey done by APA, 11% of adults reported feelings of loneliness every day, while 33% reported feeling lonely at least once a week… A meta-analytic review found that loneliness increased likelihood of mortality by 29%—and the risk was present across gender and world regions.” (Social Connectedness for Mental and Physical Health | Psychiatric News). So much of our lives, our sense of health and wellbeing, our ability to regulate emotions, face challenges, persevere, or gain a sense of safety and belonging stems from our need for community.

As we see fatigue setting in, people cope with disappointment in their footy teams, and a tendency to dive further and further into social media in attempt to supplement the rising difficulty in making and maintaining relationships, let’s look inwards and take steps to connect, be good friends, partners, confidants, and community members to ensure our need for connection is met in healthy ways.

6 Benefits of Friendship and How to Make Them: https://www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-friendship#less-stress

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