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The Power of Social Connections: Boosting Mental Health · Talking FACS

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  Welcome to Talking Facts, what you need to know about family,
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  food, finance, and fitness.
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  This nationally recognized, award-winning podcast is hosted by the University
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  of Kentucky Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Program.
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  Our educators share research knowledge with individuals, families,
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  and communities to improve quality of life.
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  Hello and welcome to Talking Facts. We have information you can use to strengthen
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  your family, your community, and our state.
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  I am your host, Mindy McCulley, Extension Specialist for Instructional Support
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  with Family and Consumer Sciences Extension at the University of Kentucky.
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  We are housed in the Martin Gatton College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment.
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  While it might be important to have some alone time every now and then,
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  no one wants to be alone all the time.
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  Feeling connected to others is an important part of socialization from the time
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  we are born until the time we leave this earth.
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  My guest today, Dr. Natisse Dockery, Assistant Clinical Professor for Mental
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  Health and Well-Being, is here to share with us about social connection and
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  mental health. Welcome, Natisse.
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  So I really like this topic because I am what you might call a social butterfly.
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  And so I really do love those social connections, but I do like my alone time, too.
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  But let's talk about how a lack of social connection can impact mental health.
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  Good to have that balance, though. You know, you don't want to do too much and
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  then bring yourself out, but then also not do enough and then,
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  you know, still those side effects. That's true. That's true.
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  Yeah. So the lack of social connection, I didn't want to touch on that first.
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  With that, we can experience an increased risk of anxiety, depression,
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  just feelings of loneliness in general.
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  And with that, come to increased stress. We can have increased risk of substance
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  use, lowering self-esteem, and then even risk of suicidal ideations.
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  So it's important to have those strong connections, as you kind of shared,
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  because they can kind of protect us against not only those things such as anxiety,
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  depression, but even physical illnesses such as heart disease.
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  So those social connections, such as friendships and familial relationships,
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  have been shown through research to kind of reduce our stress,
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  provide us with a sense of belonging, and then also provide us with a better
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  quality of sleep, which I know we can all use, and then an overall better sense of well-being.
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  So what are the warning signs that someone may be experiencing isolation?
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  Yeah. So this is by no means an exhaustive bliss because there's a wide array
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  of different warning signs that we might see in different folks.
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  But this can look like reduced social interactions, such as avoiding social
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  situations, talking to a loved one a lot less than usual, maybe changes in behavior
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  such as increased time alone, neglecting personal hygiene.
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  Changes in sleeping or eating patterns.
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  Some emotional and psychological signs of loneliness might also include feelings
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  of sadness or emptiness, anxiety, loss of esteem, and even difficulty in concentrating.
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  I don't think a lot of folks realize that mental health and concentration go hand in hand.
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  Oh yeah, I know that when I am feeling stressed or upset or angry,
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  I can't concentrate at all.
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  So I perfectly get that. Yeah.
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  So what are some practical tips for improving social connection or combating loneliness?
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  There are many ways that we can kind of go about increasing or improving our
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  social connection and kind of combating that loneliness.
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  So this could look like spending quality time with friends and family,
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  volunteering within your community for a good cause.
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  Simple as getting to know your neighbors. I know sometimes we are in and out the house.
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  We don't stop to actually look around and like say, hey, neighbor,
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  you know, just spark up a conversation or even doing team-building exercises with your co-workers.
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  There's a lot of things that we don't have control over in our lives,
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  but our ability to kind of foster social connection is one of those things that
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  we do have some control over.
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  So I feel like by being proactive and kind of doing some of those things and
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  more can really foster our sense of connection, can have the potential to improve
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  our mental health, our physical health, and our overall well-being.
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  Yes, I think that is so important. You know, especially in society now where
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  maybe families don't live so close to one another,
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  it is really important to get to know your neighbors and to get to know the
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  people who live in your neighborhood because you might not have the benefit
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  of having grandma next door or even in your own home.
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  Yeah. So with that, I do a lot of FaceTiming, phone calls.
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  Not the same as being with those family members and friends,
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  but it does kind of fill that void a little bit. That's exactly right, yeah.
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  But keep the lines of communication open no matter where you might have to find
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  everybody around the world, right? Exactly.
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  Natisse, I appreciate you taking the time to share with me today.
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  I know that this is an important topic for our listeners, as well as it is a great reminder for me,
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  as I have to always remember to take the time to reach out to those who are
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  around me and across the street or across the state.
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  Yeah, absolutely. If you are just tuning in, you're listening to Talking Facts,
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  and we are available wherever you listen to your favorite podcast.
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  Thank you for listening to Talking Facts.
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  family development, and civic engagement.
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