Do Relationships Affect Our Health?

Do Relationships Affect Our Health?

Do Relationships Affect Our Health?  YES dude, absolutely.  And while personal relationships have a significant impact in our life, we often DON'T think about the influence they have on our health.  Over and over again, studies have shown that people involved in POSITIVE relationships with family and friends tend to be happier and live longer than people WHO are isolated [for WHATEVER reasons and circumstances may explain it]📗📙📘

Be EXTRA EXTRA wary of one type of relationship though.  That's PARASOCIAL relationships which is defined as involving OR relating to a connection between a person and someone they DO NOT know personally, like a celebrity OR famous person or even a fictitious character in a book.  To keep things simple, it will make sense that we limit today's thread to real-life relationships [and excluding parasocial ones].  And as we look for ways to manage and improve our personal health, it's worth considering HOW our relationships affect our physical health and emotional well-being.  Certainly, there can be POSITIVE effects✅✅✅

If we surround ourselves with people WHO eat healthy and exercise, we're MORE likely to adopt the same behaviors.  Relationships can also result in NEGATIVE consequences and WHILE every situation is different, let's spend time to dive into common concerns that can be influenced by our relationships with our family and even in our social life.  

DEPRESSION - While this condition has many causes, unstable relationships can contribute to DEPRESSION.  Frequent NEGATIVE interactions can even cause mood swings and emotional distress that over time, may likely affect our physical health💦💦💦

ALCOHOL and DRUG USE - Again, it's more likely that people will engage in unhealthy behaviors such as heavy drinking OR drug use WHEN they spend time with others WHO do the same.  A concrete but not-so-overnight fix for this dilemma is to make POSITIVE changes, like identifying and acknowledging WHEN a relationship is NEGATIVELY impacting one's health and well-being.  Relationships are an essential part of life, so it's really that important to establish and nurture those relationships that provide the greatest joy and POSITIVE impact to your life.  And HOW do we handle relationships that create more NEGATIVITY?  Take a serious, hard look and be focused to fix it pronto!!!

Our takeaway:  Before we get mixed up and I end up being misunderstood, WHAT is more prevalent these days is WHEN we nourish our body and mind BUT neglect our relationships because at the end of the day, our overall health will likely be compromised.  In contrast, prioritizing your 'CONNECTIONS', that is in addition to habits that support your physical and mental health, experts assure us with that embedded conviction that very likely, we have much better chances to live healthier, longer and happier, all rolled into one.  So, DO RELATIONSHIPS AFFECT OUR HEALTH?  Absolutely, dude❗❗❗

Are You Feeling LEFT BEHIND?

Are You Feeling LEFT BEHIND?

Are You Feeling LEFT BEHIND?  Half of the times, we're right.  Half of those times, we're NOT right.  WHY and WHY?  True, we would feel LEFT BEHIND when we keep failing, falling flat on our face while everyone else in the rat race is up up and away. Like WHEN you do an apples-to-apples thing, you would then realize that you're LEFT BEHIND.  BUT many times, we're damn wrong because sometimes, the comparisons are akin to apples versus lemons, oranges vs bananas.  And very obviously, there should be NO comparisons because the TALE of the TAPE won't show up numbers that are aligned.  And that is the worst thing to happen in our lives, once we start comparing ourselves to another person when both of you did NOT kickstart OR takeoff exactly on equal footing, on similar OR circumstances📗📙📘

Let's lay down concrete examples here.   From infancy, some were born with a silver spoon in our mouth while many [like moi] were born from peasant-level families.  Some scions of the 'upper tier' from many countries [including from the Third World] would sometimes cross paths and up there in any of the Ivy League universities in the U.S. or at either Cambridge or Oxford in the U.K.  Very obviously, someone graduating from either of these top tier universities will have a significant head start WHEN compared to someone graduating from the more common tertiary schools that are tiered way below the top tier ones from a 'pecking order' perspective.  And YES, if you're an Ivy League graduate, it's NOT far-fetched that one will have much bigger opportunities of getting a plum job offer from either Silicon Valley OR even from any of the blue-chip New York financial companies along Wall Street😄😄😄

True, it is NEVER pleasant to lag behind others that we consider similar.  The conventional wisdom says to STOP competing with others.  Instead, compete ONLY WITH YOURSELF. BUT again, that's easier said than done.  And with the rise of social media, it's hard to avoid evidence of your colleagues' accomplishments if you want to stay connected.  And true, that evidence can have its benefits.  And it can inspire us all💦💦💦

The biggest question to us now is HOW can we harness the positive benefits of competition WITHOUT suffering from that regrettable insecurity it may lead to?  Experts counsel us to reflect as to what triggers SELF-COMPARISONs.  The stress of feeling behind your peers can emerge in many forms💥💥💥

Our takeaway:  Those triggers that may happen to any of us could be something transient, such as hearing your boss compliment another colleague, OR it might be something constant such as watching your colleagues leave the 9 to 5 cycle to build businesses of their own.  It will help to ask yourself more incisive questions like, DOES your boss's support of others make you feel inferior?  Do specific friends' accomplishments bring you down?  Do you find yourself regularly scrolling through LInkedIn, Facebook, OR Instagram, inevitably feeling a higher level of insecurity?  If so, you're NOT alone BUT off hand, it is social media which exacerbates our inherent NEGATIVITY BIAS where we put more weight on NEGATIVE experiences than positive ones.  Dude, let's PUT BEHIND that feeling of LEFT BEHIND❎❎❎

2025: Time To Re-think, Reassess and [MAYBE] Reset

2025: Time To Re-think, Reassess and [MAYBE] Reset

YES YES YES, let's bid adieu to 2024 and welcome 2025 [with open arms at that\.  YES YES, it's our Time To Re-think, Reassess and [MAYBE] Reset.  Like it OR not, when the calendar flips over, we really got NO other choice but to align with that flipping.  WHICH means looking back to critically assess HOW did we handle our life in 2024.  And if we caused any snag or snafu, time to benefit from those debacles for us to move forward with 2025🎉🎈🎢

I may sound like an old, broken [vinyl] record BUT 2025 offers us a huge window for many things BUT for brevity, it behooves that we RE-think things out, RE-assess HOW did we handle things last year and depending on your current state NOW, think it over if things are going well, enough for you to keep that momentum OR is it worth considering to push the RESET button if only to start off with a cleaner slate in 2025???

Oh, I like this very simple pristine blue horizon because it makes me realize that we should NOT settle for just one flash in the sky [OR in the pan] but ISN'T it worth it that we picture out a horizon with multiple flashes out there.  WHY?  Because we're NOT born to just trigger one single solitary FLASH IN THE PAN.  Because we have a deep reservoir of capabilities that positions us to trigger more FLASHES in life, way beyond that old, hackneyed FLASH IN THE PAN mindset😔😔😔

YES dude, it's not too steep for us to reconsider all these:

• REVIEW our goals.  You may now be basking with all the successes you have achieved BUT that DOESN'T mean that you're exempted to set your goals for 2025
• IN CASE you haven't set your goals, just DO IT now
• START AFRESH.  As they say, a cluttered place is reflective of a cluttered mind.  BUT it's more than that
• RECOMMIT.  YES you need to reaffirm [to yourself] to achieve the goals you'll set for 2025, leaving NO single stone unturned thereon
• YES, reinforce that work-life balance.  You deserve it
• YES, strive to continue improving your own well-being 

Our takeaway:  NOT to crack the whip but let us NOT belittle the significance when the year flips from 2024 to 2025 because that window flips open to multifarious opportunities FOR OUR PICKING.  Trust me, IF you refuse to pick up the challenge and IF you think it's business-as-usual [BAU], you're completely out-of-sync with the cycles in our life.  BTW, this is the time for you to beat your chest and blow your horn for your successes and achievements in 2024.  After all the hullabaloo, you deserve all those as catalysts WHEN you position yourself for the next frenetic race for this year of the [wood] snake.  HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone❗❗❗

SMALL Steps Can Lead To BIG Outcomes

SMALL Steps Can Lead To BIG Outcomes

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! SMALL Steps Can Lead To BIG Outcomes. WHO can argue with that?  These days, ask around, WHO does NOT enable the ALARM before hitting the sack?  Rarely surely.  BUT why?  Is there nothing wrong if we remain hostage to that damn ALARM clock buzzing and ringing [to whatever chimes you chose] WHEN you're still snoring?  BUT do you know by NOT relying on that ALARM clock, you will become more disciplined to get the sufficient hours of sleep you need in life???

Indeed, changing our lives is hard and scary, so WHAT happens next.  We simply stop.  We forget about it.  We redirect our attention to any other thing EXCEPT changing.  We just DON'T even retry it again, ever.  Our ideas about HOW it should be can block us even before we begin.  We go big.  OR unspecific.  We DON'T even know how to achieve it.  And after a few bumps on the road, we simply shrug off our shoulders and give up.  Really?  That fast to give up???

C'mon dude, can we make things SIMPLE, think SIMPLE, aim SIMPLE?  So WHAT if that's the way every progress works?  With the car that WON'T start, with a scary road to the unknown, and a lot of UPs and DOWNs that make you feel sorry you set off?  BUT hey, I firmly believe that we can STILL do a lot to make this travel, this journey in life more comfortable.  We can even focus on the good and even the small

The mother of all ironies is many us see the BIG-sized stuff, think of the BIG ideas, imagine BIG but end up stalled.  BUT did you ever think that putting a smile on your face the moment you wake up will trick your brain into thinking, LIKE, I feel quite good today.  YES, it's NOT easier said than done.  Do it, it works.  OR sometimes questioning your rationale? And while you may always act rationally, WHY not challenge yourself at times and ask yourself, 'IF IT'S IRRATIONAL, WHY SHOULD I DO IT???

And sometimes I feel so LOW, so depressed, HOW about taking a 2-minute shower under the cold water.  That should ignite your adrenaline no less.  HOW about walking outdoors everyday?  YES, since January 2nd this year, unless there's a downpour, we make sure our hour-long morning walk is part of our regimen.  It's a shot in our arm, for health-sake [and BTW, it's FREE, it cost nada].  SMALL STEPS CAN LEAD TO BIG RESULTS.  HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!