Perhaps the heart is the organ whose health is most dependent on love. The quality of our relationships is the single biggest predictor of our happiness, and a strong predictor for health. We are social beings; as is noted in Genesis, it is not good for humans to be alone.
Dr. Lori Mosca, preventive cardiologist, discusses the need for patients to have a close knit group of friends or at least one person you can rely on and confide your deepest thoughts, fears and hopes, someone with whom you can truly be yourself. This level of emotional support appears to be especially critical for patients with cardiovascular disease. This kind of relationship requires communication and cultivation of trust.
Here are several things which you can do to enhance your relationships.
- Develop a communication habit – Listening is the most important communication skill; set times to regularly get together with another and discuss what is going on; Listen to the other person and respond honestly; expect differences of opinion, talk and air differences as they arise. Less advice is often the best advice.
- Say what you mean and mean what you say. – Give the people in your life the information they need, rather than expecting them to know the unknowable.
- Have fun – be sure to share good times as well, think about what you like to do and plan ways to bring more of that into your life. What have you enjoyed together in the past? What things have been fun for you? How can you bring aspects of that into your life – adventure, perhaps go to a new place locally; movies, a comedy you can go to or rent; being with others, perhaps you have to limit the amount of time and get together for coffee rather than dinner. What do you do that brings a smile to your face and that of your friend’s.
Please share ideas you have for how you can bring more love into your life. You’re invited to share this post with your friends and networks.
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Dear Dina,
I love this perspective! That the heart needs love, physically, to survive. Love is a force of energy, a tangible thing. So cool. Thank you for sharing this point of view 🙂
~Lisa
Love really can be quite a force stretching us to go beyond the comfortable, and then enriching us and those we love.
Lately, I am opening my heart more, especially when I am afraid of being hurt. I am trusting that I can take care of myself, respect myself, love myself and that I have a duty to do this for me so that others will follow suit. If I can’t love myself, how can I expect anyone else to? But me alone is not enough. I need my friends and loved ones. Thank you for the reminder that dear friends and loved ones are so important! My life depends on them!
I’m so glad that this reminds you of how tied together our physical and emotional beings are. Yeah for looking in both directions, toward yourself and out to others.