Connecting with Others, Friendship Enhance Mental Health

Here's what's happening on the HealthyPlace site this week:

• Connecting with Others, Friendship Enhance Mental Health
• Most Popular HealthyPlace Articles Shared by Facebook Fans
• From the HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs

Connecting with Others, Friendship Enhance Mental Health

A powerful way to enhance mental health is through human connection and friendship. Connecting with others in a positive, meaningful way can improve both thoughts and emotions (Friendship and Mental Health: Priceless). Friendship boots other treatments like medication and therapy, and it helps increase positivity and wellbeing for people experiencing mood disorders, anxiety disorders (yes, even social anxiety), trauma-related disorders, psychotic disorders, personality disorders, and more.

Connecting with people, though, is sometimes difficult. Living with mental illness wreaks havoc on self-confidence, drive, and trust in others. Still, forming friendships is possible when done in small steps. Here are three ideas to get you started:

1. Attend a support group.
2. Join a community organization that relates to one of your interests.
3. Identify one person (coworker, neighbor, parent of one of your child's friends, etc.) that you'd like to know better. Start a simple conversation. Have more conversations.

Human connection is so important and effective because it breaks through the isolation and loneliness common among people living with mental illness. Connecting with someone else allows people to share their humanity, to exchange stories, to celebrate life's joys and to empathize through life's sorrows. Friendship also motivates, inspires, and encourages. While it might be difficult to take the first step, it's a step you'll be glad you took on your life's journey.

Related Articles Dealing with Friendship, Human Connection, and Mental Health

• Friendship and Mental Illness
• Maintaining Friendships When Living with a Mental Illness
• How Do You Make Friends with Someone?
• What Does it Take to Make New Friends?
• Finding Friendship with Schizophrenia
• Keeping Friendships Alive
• Tips for Decreasing Anxiety and Loneliness

Your Thoughts

Today's Question: How have you been successful in forming connections or friendships with other people, even when it’s difficult? We invite you to participate by commenting and sharing your feelings, experiences and knowledge on the HealthyPlace Facebook page.

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Most Popular HealthyPlace Articles Shared by Facebook Fans

Here are the top 3 mental health articles HealthyPlace Facebook fans are recommending you read:

1. Supporting the Mentally Ill: Best Things to Say
2. Seven Biggest Myths About Bipolar Disorderr
3. Veganism, Vegetarianism, and Other Food Choices in Eating Disorder Recovery

If you're not already, I hope you'll join us/like us on Facebook too. There are a lot of wonderful, supportive people there.

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From the HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs

On all our blogs, your comments and observations are welcomed.

• Please Stop Using My Borderline Diagnosis As An Insult
• Depression, Bipolar Depression Amplifies Physical Pain
• Improving Access to Substance Abuse Treatment
• ‘How to Overdose without Dying’ and Other Red Flag Searches
• Depression and Setting Emotional Boundaries
• PTSD Recovery: 12-Step Approach, Steps 7, 8, and 9
• Binge Eating Disorder at College: The Freshman 15
• To Reduce Anxiety, Do More of What Works
• Cutting Ties with Family? Consider This Before You Do
• Political Activism and Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective Disorder
• Find Joy in Life by Doing the Things You Love
• Anxiety And Feeling Unlikeable: What Can You Do About It?
• How to Deal with Weight Changes In Eating Disorder Recovery
• How To Improve Decision-Making Despite Anxiety
• How To Talk To Your Child About Your Addiction
• TED Talks for Confidence and Motivation

Feel free to share your thoughts and comments at the bottom of any blog post. And visit the mental health blogs homepage for the latest posts.

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That's it for now. If you know of anyone who can benefit from this newsletter or the HealthyPlace.com site, I hope you'll pass this onto them. For updates throughout the week:

• follow HealthyPlace on Twitter
• or become a fan of HealthyPlace on Facebook.