Ok... one more article before I sleep.
Here's a good explanation why you physically need close connections to people.
Why Love Heals: How Friendships Keep You Healthy Quote:
There is an actual, physical chunk of brain that runs your emotions called the limbic brain. You can trace its development back a hundred million years. You can see it on an MRI. Every second you spend with other people, your limbic brain is tuning in to them, being changed by their moods, and changing theirs in turn. It's a constant, life-affirming limbic dance.
Experimental psychologists have known for decades that we share moods. If you don't believe me, just think of the people who make you feel better simply by walking into a room. These sorts of interactions feel so good (directly and unconsciously) that we would wither away without them. This is why you should never underrate the emotional side of your life.
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Hundreds of research studies confirm that isolation hurts us and connection heals us through the same physical mechanisms as exercise and healthy diet. Blood vessels are measurably more elastic, the heart's ability to respond to extraordinary demands is higher, cardiac inflammatory protein levels are lower, and blood pressure response to exercise is better in more connected people. Their stress-hormone blood profiles are also measurably healthier than those of isolated people.
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Our society -- with its emphasis on the traditional family structure and the workplace as centers of social togetherness -- doesn't help matters. People who lack either of those have to work doubly hard. But the consequences of not making connections are so devastating that you cannot allow yourself to retreat into isolation. The stakes are too high. A study of more than 4,000 women and men in Alameda County, California, showed a direct link between the size of one's social circle and survival, with larger circles bringing ever-greater longevity. Women with fewer than six regular contacts outside the house had significantly higher rates of blocked coronary arteries, were more likely to be obese and have diabetes, high blood pressure, and depression, and were two and a half times more likely to die over the course of the study than those with an extensive social network.
Having either a good marriage or just one close friend cuts the risk of mortality by a third, and the benefit increases the more your circle broadens. It's reassuring to note that both quality and quantity count. Some people have a few close friends or family members, while others have a broad network of involvement with their community. Either works well, though it's best to have both.
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It also talks about how spirituality physically benefits you.
Again, I left out several good parts of the article, so just read the whole thing yourself.
And it also makes Logodae's adivce about the community even more relevant:
Quote:
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Chad: You didn't answer my question about where you live, so I haven't tried to figure out what kind of mental health resources might be in your area. I think you should look into it, though, if you haven't already. A community mental health clinic might have free or low-cost resources.
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Just for the sake of having limbidic connections that the article talks about.
If I were you, when I need to get things done, I just bring my work to a public place where other people are around just so I can watch them and not be so isolated. Just for some relief, but of course close friends are better. I knew it helped me keep motivated when I did this, but now I know why.