Today your challenge is to reach out and connect with a family member and / or friend – outside of social media.

Good social connections with family and friends have been shown to improve health and increase longevity. These relationships not only give us pleasure, they have been shown to influence our long-term health as much as getting adequate sleep, having a good diet, and not smoking.

Numerous studies have shown that people who have satisfying relationships with family, friends, and their community are happier, have fewer health problems, and live longer. Other research has shown that the companionship provided by friends may ward off depression, boost self-esteem, and provide support and that strong social support helps people cope better with stress.

We all get busy with life and with the increased use of social media and text messages, perhaps don’t connect as meaningfully, or as often or regularly as we once did.

So your challenge today is to ‘phone-a-friend’ (or family member 🙂 ). Have a chat, or arrange to catch up in person, with someone important to you that you haven’t connected with enough lately. It’s inexpensive, fun, rewarding, requires no special equipment and is one of the easiest health strategies to implement.