Human connection and Health

Hello to you my fellow Human!

Have you ever heard of an older person who's health declined when their partner passed away?

My grandma has never been the same since my grandad died. Kind of stopped looking after herself and just didn't care so much anymore. She has been very lucky as my mum has been looking after her ever since, but that's not possible for many families...

Do you believe that loneliness and isolation at any age can affect not only our mental, but also physical health?

I have observed my family dynamics during recent pandemic and I can definitely say that I saw a massive impact of isolation.

• those who were completely isolated from their families took longer to recover from infections
• immune system of lonely people seemed to be weaker than those who had a support system around
• the fact that we couldn't see our families and friends affected our mental health, we felt more stressed and anxious, which meant that stress hormones had impact on our gut health and immunity.

Many of us were working from home and I have to admit that there were many benefits of that, but we kind of have turned into little hermits a bit, haven't we?

Has this affected our wellbeing? I am convinced that it has.

Many symptoms could be ignored and overlooked when we are spending most of our time alone, our loved ones can often notice better if something is not quite right with us.

We often just don't want to make a fuss and go to doctors or speak to someone if we're feeling low or anxious.

I have also heard a saying recently, that it takes a village to raise a child. I'm sure you have heard this one before, right?

I went to visit my family in Poland last week and I really saw a difference in my cousins kids, how they have a daily contact with their aunties, uncles, grandparents and extended family.....

.......their immunity when they're little is so much better than my son who grew up here in UK, living with me and without that contact with rest of the family. One of the reasons why I did send him to nursery when he was little.

If there are any more serious health issues to deal with in the family, the load is so much lighter to carry if there is a strong support system and many people to pop in with a pie or take someone to an appointment

I remember having the support of family and friends as a child and I think it also helped to build my mental resilience as well.

It's million little things that we don't pay attention to and take for granted, but we really feel the difference if the support suddenly disappears.

The daily chores, drop offs, pick ups, shopping, cooking, appointments, work trips, business meetings running late..... the feeling that we always have someone to ask for help makes a huge difference in the mental load we are having to carry every day.

I truly believe that human connection helps us feel better and live a fuller life, even if every day is not perfect.

How do you feel about this? Do you feel connected to your community?

What can you do this Christmas to feel a little bit more closer to the people you love?