Engage with family and friends to help your well-being
In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General, who’s tasked with heading the country’s health and wellness, issued an advisory about a health danger facing all of us. It’s not a virus. It’s not a disease. It's loneliness. U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD sounded the alarm that feeling alone can harm your health as much as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
As his term comes to an end, Dr. Murthy sat down with Oprah Winfrey for The Oprah Podcast. “Whether we are lonely or not has to do with the quality of connections in life, not the quantity,” said Dr. Murthy.
It’s not uncommon for people’s New Year’s Resolutions lists to include spending more quality time with the people they care about. Through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Dr. Murthy invites people to try the “5-for-5 Connection Challenge.” In it you commit to five actions (such as express gratitude or offer support) for five days in a row. Click here to download a postcard on which you can record your connections.
If you’re looking for activities to do with a friend, University Health Behavioral Health's Sarah Kaiser, MSW, LCSW offered these suggestions as part of our holiday gift guide:
- Tap into local events. Head to a college game (Go, Roos!) with a fellow sports fan. Tickets are affordable, and Kaiser said that supporting teams – and sharing passions – is a great way to connect with others. If you’re more of an artist than athlete, consider tickets to community or college theatre.
- Your local library website lists fun upcoming events and activities for adults and kids, including free movie screenings in the vault in the Central branch of the Kansas City Public Library.
If you’re looking to develop new connections, rather than cultivate the ones you have, here are few suggestions:
- Volunteer for an organization/cause you feel passionate about
- Join a book club. If unsure where to start, the Kansas City Public Library has groups listed by interest, like Sci-Fi or Adventure. Here’s another guide courtesy of KCUR.
- Visit a church, synagogue or mosque
- What better way to meet new people than sweating with them? Look for a fitness class at a community center near you
- How about a game night? Bingo! There are bingo and mahjong (a game that started in China, played with small tiles) classes across the metro