Connection: Community, Relationships, and Communication
We’re in the middle of a loneliness epidemic. It’s easier than ever to feel disconnected, and I for one have been there. My solution was to push those feelings aside through work, work harder, and isolate myself from others.As the world shut down for the pandemic, I was forced to slow down and learn a lot of the lessons I’d been avoiding. I reached a point where I couldn’t do it anymore—I craved connection.It’s not just me, though. Science agrees that human relationships are an integral part of our health, happiness, and longevity (just take a look at this 85-year long Harvard study). At the same time, social media is making us lonelier than ever, and we’re left fighting an uphill battle.It’s a fact: our connections matter. The quality of those connections matters. It’s never too late to start connecting, and this pillar is all about how. Together, let’s bridge the gap between quantity and quality in our connections—transforming not just how we interact, but how we live.
The Core Components of ConnectionHuman connection can be broken down into three main areas: community, relationships, and communication. To truly achieve meaningful connections, we must focus on all three of these components. Let’s explore.
Finding and Developing CommunitiesWe tend to stick with the people and groups we already know, but staying in a bubble can greatly limit our potential. When you are only surrounded by others like you, it’s like being in an echo chamber. This area of human connection is all about taking stock of the people around you, building a diverse and vibrant network, and adding value to your community in a positive way. Once you’ve been part of a community for a while, you can begin evaluating your role in it and determine if it’s enhancing your life, and how.
Training and Strengthening RelationshipsOne-on-one relationships are vital components of human connection. Even the most personable among us can still benefit from assessing the quality of every relationship—and intentionally strengthening them. I like to say that each person or group is either a battery (adding value to your life) or a vacuum (draining you of your energy). It’s important to identify who your batteries are so you can continue to invest in them and reciprocate positivity.
Enhancing Communication SkillsEffective communication drives meaningful connection. One of the most important pieces of communication you can learn is that you can only control yourself and your responses to situations. You never know what someone else is going through, but you do have a choice: to give out positivity and receive positivity in return, or contribute to a cycle of negativity. With training and persistence, you can default your state to positivity and bring out the best in others.
Connecting BetterWe as humans try to do it all ourselves, but we are only as strong as our support system. This is one of the core ideas that inspired me to create Remedy Place, the world’s first Social Wellness Club. I wanted people to have a place where they could not only better themselves, but help better others as part of a community. Seeing the connections that have formed over an ice bath, the friends that swap their happy hour for their favorite remedies—it all makes it worthwhile.We often think of self-care in isolation, but relationships are an integral part of our overall well-being. Self-care is meant to be shared. Now that you know the pieces of connection, you can begin to learn and grow into the person you want to be.
The Core Components of ConnectionHuman connection can be broken down into three main areas: community, relationships, and communication. To truly achieve meaningful connections, we must focus on all three of these components. Let’s explore.
Finding and Developing CommunitiesWe tend to stick with the people and groups we already know, but staying in a bubble can greatly limit our potential. When you are only surrounded by others like you, it’s like being in an echo chamber. This area of human connection is all about taking stock of the people around you, building a diverse and vibrant network, and adding value to your community in a positive way. Once you’ve been part of a community for a while, you can begin evaluating your role in it and determine if it’s enhancing your life, and how.
Training and Strengthening RelationshipsOne-on-one relationships are vital components of human connection. Even the most personable among us can still benefit from assessing the quality of every relationship—and intentionally strengthening them. I like to say that each person or group is either a battery (adding value to your life) or a vacuum (draining you of your energy). It’s important to identify who your batteries are so you can continue to invest in them and reciprocate positivity.
Enhancing Communication SkillsEffective communication drives meaningful connection. One of the most important pieces of communication you can learn is that you can only control yourself and your responses to situations. You never know what someone else is going through, but you do have a choice: to give out positivity and receive positivity in return, or contribute to a cycle of negativity. With training and persistence, you can default your state to positivity and bring out the best in others.
Connecting BetterWe as humans try to do it all ourselves, but we are only as strong as our support system. This is one of the core ideas that inspired me to create Remedy Place, the world’s first Social Wellness Club. I wanted people to have a place where they could not only better themselves, but help better others as part of a community. Seeing the connections that have formed over an ice bath, the friends that swap their happy hour for their favorite remedies—it all makes it worthwhile.We often think of self-care in isolation, but relationships are an integral part of our overall well-being. Self-care is meant to be shared. Now that you know the pieces of connection, you can begin to learn and grow into the person you want to be.