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Have you ever thought how your mood
(happiness, anxiety and depression) or
practical problems like joblessness,
homelessness, or relationshiplessness can be
directly related to your social structure?
If you're wondering how you found yourself on
this list,
it's because I know you and I wanted to share
this
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Social Root
People often say that we are "social
creatures." Ever think of how possible that
is? Well if you think of our pre-historic
ancestors, they were quite social. They
needed to form groups to hunt and protect
each other. They also needed to form groups,
cultures, and languages to communicate and
find partners, marry and have children to
sustain the species.
Now fast-forward to today's society and many
find themselves within a social structure
that does not work for them.
For example, if you find yourself homeless,
how many people do you know will take you in?
If you find yourself jobless, how many people
do you know that will advocate at their jobs
for you? If you are in financial difficulty,
how many people do you know will provide
food, shelter, or money? If you are depressed
how many people can you call and have a
conversation? If you are having an anxiety
attack how many people can you call to
comfort you and possibly take you to the
hospital? If you are looking for a partner,
how many of your friends connect you with others?
Now fantasize about the opposite. Imagine
being part of a social group that had people
from all professions, cultures, genders, and
socioeconomic classes. You will have wealthy
people to count on financially, professionals
that you can count on for work, family or
friends that you can count on for food,
shelter, and other basics of life. And
friends from different cultures, religions,
and locations that you can count on for
support when you are traveling or looking for
a partner. Do you think you will still be
depressed, anxious, or lonely? Without job
leads, apartment rental deals, or dates?
There are many good therapist, books, and
websites that offer suggestions on meeting
people. My personal favorite is exposure. Try
to meet one new person each week. This sounds
like an arduous task, but if you look around
there are people everywhere. The problem is
not the "people," the problem is the social
anxiety and the fear of rejection. Once you
are able to overcome the fear of approaching
people, you are on your way to meeting many
new people and restructuring your social
group. A good place to start is with meetup.com.
The Jove Institute
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Lots of love, health, and happiness!
Sincerely,
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