As a strong introvert and a Highly Sensitive Person, sometimes social interactions can feel truly exhausting for me. It takes a lot of emotional energy for me to make small talk, deal with crowds and get out of my comfort zone to forge new friendships.
But I also know that I need people, and I do enjoy time spent in community with friends and family. I believe that God created human being for fellowship with Him and with each other. And I know from experience that real connection with other people boosts my emotional health.
The trouble is finding a good balance between draining social interaction and life-giving connections. For me, I feel most exhausted by large groups and meeting new people. On the other hand, one-on-one conversations with a good friend leave me feeling refreshed and encouraged. Either way, however, I do have to plan alone time so that my emotional health doesn’t suffer from too much of a good thing.
The key for me in maintaining emotional health in relation to friendship is to have real connection, not just surface interaction. I prefer to go deep with a few people who I trust and can have regular time with and build community, rather than be spread wide and feel like I barely know my so-called friends.
And these connections need to be in person as much as possible, not on social media. Although things like Facebook and Instagram give us the ability to keep up with a lot of people from all over the world conveniently, I don’t believe that these online interactions are as beneficial or lasting as real life friendships can be. I am thankful for my online connections, but I need real people coming over to my house or going out for coffee and sharing my life on a regular basis.
How about you? If you are extravert, your need for social interaction is going to look a lot different from mine! I would love to hear how you pursue real connections for emotional health in this social media culture!
And now it’s your turn! I want to read your thoughts on your own health and wellness journey! Follow the instructions below to join the link-up and share!
How to participate:
- Write a post on a topic related to wellness, and add your link to the list below.
- Grab the Wellness Wednesday logo graphic below and put it in your linked post, also with a blurb mentioning and linking back to that week’s link-up.
- Please stop by at least two other participants’ blogs and leave a comment on their Wellness Wednesday posts. This doesn’t take long, and it is really encouraging and helpful for building community and continuing the conversation!
- Bonus points if you post about the link-up on your social media. I will feature a post from one or two Wellness Wednesday participants on my Facebook page during the week after the link-up, so please head on over there to follow me and see if your post is featured!