12/22/2025
A growing concern I see every day is how easily we disconnect.
We cancel over small inconveniences. We avoid phone calls and choose quick texts. We say we are too tired after work to do anything else.
We call it rest, but sometimes it is withdrawal.
Connection is not just emotional support. It’ s a health factor.
➝ Research looking at more than 300,000 people found that strong social relationships improve our chances of long-term survival by about 50 percent.
That makes connection as important to longevity as well-known factors like quitting smoking or maintaining healthy habits.
Self care is not isolation.
Yes, unplug from work. Yes, take quiet when you need it.
More importantly, plug into joy. Plug into warmth. Plug into the people who help your nervous system settle.
Laughter, closeness and shared moments are forms of regulation too.
Sometimes connection feels uncomfortable, especially if you have been out of practice.
Start by thinking about where you met the people you love most: your closest friends, your soul sister, your safe person. You didn’t find them by staying home and choosing isolation over possibility.
We’re meant to lean in, especially with people who make us feel joyful (most of the time).
Repair matters. Understanding matters. Giving each other room to be human matters. (This is very different from staying tied to relationships that are harmful or unsafe. Estrangement is a separate and valid conversation.)
But the willingness to disconnect over the smallest inconvenience is something else entirely.
If you want connection, you have to be open to moments that stretch you. And, you have to show up, even when it feels easier not to.
If you feel ready, try something small. Join a class. Say yes to a plan. Pick up the phone instead of texting.
When you lean in, you might find the connection you have been craving.
Who is someone who makes your life lighter? Tag them below, so they can feel some love this holiday season!
Take good care,
Melissa
