Relationships make us happier, healthier, and stronger. This article won’t be self-help oriented and won’t tell you how to be or feel better in a few steps. It is about much more than that. It is about social connections, quality of relationships, and how to face an uncertain future.

Sometimes, depending on our personality, on our current situation and on our life experience, thinking about the future may make us a bit anxious. We tend to feel anxious about changes, about the results of our actions, and about things that we may not be totally able to control. Unless you are a free spirit, a hippie, or very “zen”, it’s totally normal to feel a bit (a bit) uneasy about what the future may hold. The solution? Building strong connections and having a strong support network that can be there for you when things don’t go very well.

A simple way to face the future without fear is to create a friendly, trustworthy, loving and loyal network of people. This means that we shouldn’t focus on “I” or “me”, but on “us”. In Africa, they call this “ubuntu”.

We shouldn’t focus so much on “I” or “me”, but on “us”. In Africa, they call this “ubuntu”.

The first thing to know is that we are biologically social animals. It is as important to be happy with who we are and have a strong self-esteem (trying not to be too self-centered or narcissists) as it is to have meaningful relationships. It is proven that people who are more connected to others (community, friends, and family) tend to have a longer and happier life. On the contrary, loneliness may lead to depression and might actually be a stronger health factor than smoking, obesity, or exercising. Yes. A lonely person is significantly more likely to suffer an early death than a sociable one.

A lonely person is significantly more likely to suffer an early death than a sociable one. Click To Tweet

Beware that it is not just about having a relationship, but about its quality. Bad relationships may do more harm than good. There is a Harvard study called The Grant Study in which George Vaillant dedicated 75 years of his life studying 268 men throughout their lives.

continue to part 2