Leigh Randa, PhD

Therapy with A Positive Belief in You.

The Effects of Close Relationships on Stress and Life Fulfillment

We live in a busy time – one of significant stress and anxiety. Cultivating relationships in this day and age can be challenging, as there is often little time left in the day to spend on friendships.

Still, for those that struggle with anxiety, stress, or confidence, it may be important to look for ways to strengthen the relationships you have and prioritize deep friendships in your life.

Introduction to Social Support

Deep relationships are offered referred to as “social support” in the world of psychology. Social support is not about how many friends you have or how popular you are.

It is about how fulfilled and supported you feel by whomever you feel close to. For some that may be a lot of friends, or it may be a few best friends or family members. As long as you feel a deep level of support from some people in your life, you have good social support.

The Value of Social Support

Studies have shown that when human beings feel truly loved and supported, they experience a wide range of positive benefits:

  • They are happier
  • They are more self-confident
  • They are able to cope with stress better.

Social support is so powerful, that is has been shown to help with cancer recovery.

How to Get Deep Social Support

Social support is something that often needs to be grown. As Long Island Psychologist Dr. Marc Shulman writes “Many of my patients have friends, but they find themselves so busy that they aren’t able to truly engage in those friendships.” That is very common in today’s society – we may have friends, but we no longer take the time to spend quality, deep, meaningful time with those friends.

That is why those that struggle from anxiety, stress – even depression – should try to prioritize their friendships as best they can, and seek out new friendships if they need to. Spending quality time (in person, of course) with those that we care about, and making sure to really nurture those relationships can have a powerful impact on our happiness levels, and is a great compliment to the benefits of therapy.

For more information on social support, friendships, or life fulfillment in the Kansas City area, please contact me today at 858-224-3767.

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