Inquiry: Week 6

Hi everyone! This week the habit that I want to try to focus on is calling and connecting with my family more. I have been so busy these past couple of weeks that I have barely had the chance to text and call my family. I have been missing them lately and feel like this is a great way to help my mental health by engaging more with my loved ones.

I got a text from my sister a few days ago asking how I was and it really made me sad since my sister is my best friend and we use to just get to talk to each other all the time when we lived in the same house. I realized that I haven’t been in touch with my family as much as I want to, especially since they mean so much to me.

According to Standford Medicine, social connection improves physical health and mental and emotional well-being. Social connectedness creates a positive feedback loop of social, emotional and physical well-being, including high self esteem and lower levels of anxiety and depression. But, the opposite is true as well that a lack of social connections leads to declines in physical and psychological health.

I have tried to call a different member of my family every night this week. My mom is a teacher and I know that she knows exactly what I am going through in terms of my workload and pressures. She can also reassure me that everything will be worth it in the end with her positive outlook on life. My sister is my role model and always gives me the best advice for all my problems. I think that my brother is one of the funniest people and he can always make me laugh, and my dad is so supportive and always makes me feel loved.

Talking to each of my family members is a great way for me to ground myself, and still feel connected to them even though we are apart right now. They all can help me in different ways and after each call with one of them, I felt happy and grateful to have so many people around me to pick me up when I am down.

Check out this video that helped me realize how important it is to connect with your family. It was an engaging watch and definitely left me thinking about what I should be prioritizing in my life.

I encourage everyone to connect more with everyone in their life who supports them! whether that be your friends or family or teachers, I guarantee it will leave you in a good mood 🙂

Resources:

Seppala, D. E. (2022, July 19). Connectedness & Health: The science of social connection. The Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education. Retrieved October 27, 2022, from http://ccare.stanford.edu/uncategorized/connectedness-health-the-science-of-social-connection-infographic/