Why Are Friendships So Important for Our Health?

It is true what they say: “We all get by with a little help from our friends.” When it comes to living a healthy life, it is important to foster our relationships and socially interact.

We recognize that we’re facing a challenging time of socially distancing right now, which is why our team at AFC Urgent TN wants to not only share some information about the benefits of friendship but also to share some tips on maintaining friendships at this time.

How Can Friendship Change Your Health?

While many of us realize the benefits that exercise and eating right can have for our overall health, we sometimes overlook the fact that friendships can also help us to improve our heart health, immune system and even our cognitive health.

We all have our good days and our bad days. When we have our good days, our friends can be there to celebrate with us, which can help to give a boost in endorphins and help build a strong immune system. However, when we have our bad days, our friends can be there to help us to lower stress and improve anxiety.

Benefits of Friendship

  • Stronger immunity
  • Lower stress
  • Improved self-confidence
  • Increased sense of belonging and purpose
  • Boosted happiness
  • Improved sense of self-worth

How Can I Maintain My Relationships During Social Distancing?

While we are practicing social distancing, we still need to foster our friendships. Especially during this time of stress and the unknown, our anxiety is at an all-time high. Fortunately, our friends can help us through to the other side—we will just have to make some changes as to how we communicate.

For instance, instead of meeting up at the local coffee shop, why not video call or FaceTime in the morning over a cup of coffee? You could even start or join a video book club!

Ways to Keep Your Friendships Strong

  • Schedule regular calls.
  • Study together over Skype.
  • Coordinate reading the same book.
  • Craft or cook over FaceTime.
  • Send each other mini vision boards.
  • Create a group journal.

Feeling under the weather? Schedule an AFC TeleCare appointment online with one of our AFC Urgent Care TN locations today for a medical evaluation and treatment plan.