Connecting with Others is Necessary for Everyone, Introverts Too!

Feeling connected to others is a core need for everyone. We all need to feel love, to feel understood, to not feel lonely. One of the best ways to improve your mind space and overall well-being is connecting with others, even if you are an introvert.

Mental Health studies are now saying that feeling a connection with someone ranks higher than any other change to your healthy lifestyle. You read that correctly. Feeling that connection with someone has the single biggest impact on your health and well-being than if you were to quit smoking, change your eating habits, or start exercising.

Connecting with others improves your happiness, and happy people tend to live longer. Sheldon, from Big Bang Theory, would be shocked to find out that connecting with others improves the immune system. This improved immune system helps us to fight off disease easier.

In the office, people that feel a connection with others will be more engaged in their work and will be more productive. This higher level of engagement will also improve employee turnover and bring stability to the company.

Create those Connections

Building connections can be done through family, work, after-school activities, parent group, church, gym, book club, and social media.

You might be able to help a friend by taking their child to an after-school activity.
Opening up to someone a little and having that feeling of being heard.
Reading an article that resonates with your life and being reminded there is hope.
Being reminded that your passions in life are loved by others as well.
Enjoying a laugh with family or friends.

A Message for Introverts and Busy Parents

Breathe. Are you okay? I’m in no way suggesting you need to spend every day engaging in draining social events. As busy parents, we don’t have time for that. As an introvert, we find that extremely draining and will close ourselves off more to recover.

I have good news! It is how you feel that matters. You need to feel a connection with others. How that resonates with you is completely personal. For some, they need a coffee date or get-together.

Others are perfectly fine going to comic-con and being surrounded by strangers that have the same interests. They may never speak to anyone, but they have that feeling of connection because these are their people.

You may feel connected to the writer when you read an article that speaks to you, reminding you that there is hope for that secret struggle you are having. You may even be the writer that is researching and writing about something, with the hope of finding your people that will connect with your message.

After moving to a new city I discovered that I miss my people. This was shocking to me, as I consider myself an introvert. However, I loved having a group of moms to connect with once a month to play a game. I also missed my fellow dance moms that taught me how to survive in the dance world.

It is missing these connections that have driven me to write this article. I was seeking new ideas to help find connections until I can build up new personal connections to the outside world.

Little by Little

Connecting with others is the best way to improve your well-being and mindset. This doesn’t mean that you need to fill your days with social events. If you personally feel a connection with people then this is enough to bring happiness to your life.

Sitting in church or going to a convention may give you that feeling of connection with people that understand you, if so then enjoy those moments.

If reading an article online before bed is speaking directly to you, then enjoy those moments.

You may find that spending an evening once a month with other moms gives you moments of connections, if so then enjoy those moments.

For every one of those moments, remember you have found your people. Congratulations!