Human connection is so very important, we are not meant to just be alone, we are meant to engage in conversation, express our views and also listen to other people’s as well. Being human means that we love having connection with others. We enjoy personal relations ships, we love having a tribe that we connect with, that we share common interests with. We love giving and receiving a good hug from a loved one, a friend and even someone we just met. A good firm hand shake, while looking someone in the eye, gives a feeling of trust right away. We enjoy comforting people who are in need. We enjoy laughing, telling jokes, seeing people laugh and smile. The human connection is part of all our lives. Intimate relationships, feeling pleasure, giving pleasure, it all feeds us and makes us feel good.
When we have a sense of belonging, we open up, we trust, we build bonds, feel safe and share moments with other. We have our friends, best friends, Family on all different levels, all every important parts of all our lives. Human connection is so important to see and feel, we need to feed our connections, be present in peoples lives, feel the love that we give and feel the love that we get back in return.
When I started my job as a peer support worker in mental health and addiction, I really learned the importance of human connection. On every referral form that was filled out by a peer, one of the things that they were looking for was someone to talk to, who understood them, some one that they could trust and share with. It was amazing how the simplest thing was always missing in their lives. That basic human contact was lacking. During my time working in peer support I learned to listen like never before, listening is such strong tool to use. The power of sitting with someone and sharing space with them is so powerful. It is never what we say when we help people, it is often what we don’t say. When we give them the time to talk openly with out interrupting, with out adding, with out judging and most importantly not giving advise! You just sit listen, smile and show them love. The growth that can happen in people when we give them space is mind blowing.
I also would just walk with peers and causally talk, they would talk about there lives as we walked and I would talk about mine as well, the change in them was always noticeable, they would be relaxed, smiling, we would laugh together and feel connected. We would walk and walk, sometimes silent, sometimes talking about what we saw as we walked, if the peer was open to it I would share a mindfulness exercise and we would do it together.
Sometimes I would bring a deck of cards with me on a visit with a peer that wasn’t that talkative, I would ask the peer what game they wanted to play, if I didn’t know it, then the peer would become the teacher. We would laugh away as I stumbled through the game. A friend ship, a bond would be built and soon conversation would follow. The conversations that I would have with my peers where some of the most moving and emotional moments in my life, just giving them space and freedom to talk with someone, free from judgement opened gateways to trust and then to them healing and talking about moments in their lives that they had never talked to anyone before about.
Human connection is a magical thing, if we are robbed of it our lives can take turns for the worst, but when we invest into our lives all of a sudden, they have meaning, have value, we look forward to things, we build memories and share them with others, they to feel the benefit because when love is given and received everyone glows brighter and brighter. Having healthy relationships, healthy interactions, feeds into every part of who we are.
When I started teaching my classes I saw this change in me that was amazing, after each class I was walking on air, I was happier then I ever was, the feeling of true bliss filling me from top to bottom, this only came about because of the people in the class I was teaching, there faces changing, the smiles that appeared, the way in which they shared so freely and openly, meant that I was providing a safe place from them to be, to express them selves, they were open to learning and applying what I was teaching them, that made me feel good inside, I had value, deep value, people were trusting me, listening to me, I felt so goo because of this, I wanted to teach more and more, I want to help more and more people, I want to make a difference in peoples lives, and the more I did it the more I felt this way! Now it seems like it is so simple, just being a caring, loving human, who is honest, and loves to be around others, to listen to enjoy their company leads to happiness! Joy! The Bliss that is felt on all levels Mind, Body & Soul.
Human connection is such a wonderful thing, on all levels, like I said before we have these bodies, to move around in, to see, feel, taste, touch, hear. We can talk, we have voices, they are meant to be heard. We have ears, they are meant to hear what other people have to say. We have taste, we are meant to eat, share meals. We have hands, they are meant to hold other hands. We have arms, they are meant to hug. We have lips! We kiss, we show our love for each other! We have emotions, we are meant to feel them. Are bodies, our minds, our souls are meant to be intertwined with others, to create enjoyable experiences, give happiness, receive happiness on all level’s. We are meant to have shared experiences, do things together, enjoy every moment.
Human connection is one of the deepest and the most power things that we have in our lives! We just have to invest into it! Meaning taking the time to be with others, showing love, listening when needed, laughing together, sharing vacations, helping when a helping hand is needed, you name it! It all comes back to you in the moment and as your connections and experiences grow together. In order to be truly happy, to be truly present the human connection has to be there. And the cool thing is that you don’t need a lot of friends, or family to experience all the things I have been talking about! You just invest fully in what you have! Quality over quantity.
Get out of the house, start doing things, join clubs, go for walks, hikes, take a class, call an old friend, meet up with someone for a coffee, go to a show, see a band anything that gets you out of the house is good for you, even just sitting somewhere and people watching is human interaction. When you become stimulated by interacting with other people it is always good! Human connection is a must in all our lives.
"Only with open conversation can we break the stigma behind Depression and Mental Health, let's start talking and do it together"
learn more visit darcypatrick.com
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