10 Keys to Happier Living - Relating

Have you ever felt lonely?                                        Not necessarily synonymous with 'being alone'. We can be physically alone and yet be perfectly comfortable and content; and yet, we can also be surrounded by people on a busy campus and feel cripplingly lonely.




"Feeling connected to other people is at the heart of happiness."  It is essential for our well-being and emotional resilience.  Personally, I believe that God made us for community and healthy spiritual, mental, emotional and psychological growth cannot happen in isolation.

So, here is a question for you to consider personally, or talk about with your friends  ...  has technology and social media increased or decreased your personal connectedness with other people?  There is a danger, I feel, that social media breeds a culture in which we are judged by the quantity of friends, hits, likes, whatever; yet when life pulls the rug from under our feet, which it is inclined to do at times, what we truly need quality of friendship; people with whom we can be gut-real and still feel loved and accepted.

"Quality friendships are those that help us feel valued, loved and cared for, where we can be ourselves, where we feel trust and the other person can be relied upon. They also provide support and encouragement, companionship and intimacy, and we enjoy being part of them."

So, who do you have in your friendship circle? How life-affirming are your friendships? Are there relationships in which you would be wise to invest more?

If you struggle to make friends easily and find university (or life, in general) a lonely place to be, please come and talk to the Campus Chaplain or one of the university well-being advisors.

Quotes taken from '10 Keys to Happier Living' by Vanessa King