Ways to Build Social Connections That Will Help You Become More Resilient
Now that we have established that social connections can help you deal with adversity by raising your level of resilience, let’s talk about how to build a support network of your own and adopt new habits in order to make positive changes in your life.
I turn to Blisspot, which offers well-being tools and support to help people lead happier and more productive lives. In an article on building connections on its website, it lists seven ways to establish, strength and maintain social connections.
Extend Your Comfort Zone
Extending your comfort zone means making an effort to interact with others when it’s not your natural incliniation. Even simple acts like greeting people in an elevator, or saying thank you to someone who holds a door open for you, can make a difference. When dealing with family and friends, going beyond your comfort zone might mean expressing your thoughts and feelings. You’d be amazed at how this can reduce stress.
Practice Random Acts of Kindness
Practice doling out some unsolicited gestures of kindness. They benefit you as well as the person on the receiving end. Studies show that helping others can be beneficial to your mental health by reducing stress, improving your emotional well-being, and even help you feel better physically. Showing kindness produces hormones that can lower your stress levels and improve your cardiovascular health. It also stimulates the production of serotonin, which combats depression.
Discover the Benefits of “Weak Ties”
According to “weak tie theory,” acquaintances are more likely to be more influential than close friends, particularly in social networks. Simply having casual conversations with people you don’t know that well can boost your psychological wellbeing. One of the advantages of communicating with weak ties is that it is more likely to help you learn things you can’t from people with whom you have strong ties.
Express Gratitude
Expressing gratitude creates a positive feeling, fosters happiness, strengthens relationships, brings peace of mind, and boosts self-esteem. It good to express gratitude by thanking people, but genuinely experiencing gratitude can create connections in valuable ways, resulting in a higher level of resilience.
Acknowledge Others Daily
It may not come naturally to you to say positive things about other people, but if you practice doing this, it will start getting easier. Even if saying positive things is just words, it can make you feel more giving and help you connect on a more personal level.
Nurture Your Social Network
Nurture your relationships with people in your life, including family, friends, and colleagues. Don’t forget, humans are wired to be social creatures who don’t live in isolation. Our relationships with others are an important part of of our lives that requires practice and maintenance.
Settle Your Scores
It’s obvious that ongoing conflict is not healthy for anyone – it causes stress and lowers you ability to be resilient. Make an effort to reach out to those with whom you have quarreled or from whom you have become estranged. You’ll quickly discover how positive it makes you feel.
Simple Acts to Create Connections
I would like to add a few more simple techniques offered by an article in Experience Life magazine, “Simple Ways to Improve Connection,” by Kara Douglass Thom. She quotes Nicholas Epley, PhD, professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, saying he believes that “we miss out on a lot of happiness by not engaging when among fellow humans. Too many of us will feel a sense of appreciation for someone but not share it, or we’ll overhear a kind word about someone but neglect to pass it on.”
Smile
Smiling triggers the release of feel-good hormones. Even a forced smile will cause your facial muscles to stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system, as well as signal to others that you’re to making a connection.
Speak
While you might not be inclined to speak in the presence of strangers, give it a try, even if it’s just small talk. And it goes without saying that conversation is a vital way of connecting with people you know.
Look
It’s been shown that eye contact between two people activates certain parts of the brain that creates empathy. Try practicing it as a valuable form on nonverbal communication.
Ask
Make a habit of asking questions, which indicates you care about what someone has to say, strengthening your social bond.
Touch
Touch may be a more difficult practice, especially in light of the Covid pandemic and MeToo movement. But touch is a basic way to connect, causing the release of oxytocin, which increases our sense of trust, lowers blood pressure and improves self-esteem. It’s best not to touch strangers, but don’t be afraid to reach out appropriately to family and people you know well.
Listen
You can indicate you are paying attention to someone with simple gestures, such as nodding your head. Genuinely listening to someone is like giving them a gift and will strengthen the bond between you.