{"id":530,"date":"2015-10-23T19:40:39","date_gmt":"2015-10-23T19:40:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/healthchicchatter.com\/?p=530"},"modified":"2015-10-23T22:07:13","modified_gmt":"2015-10-23T22:07:13","slug":"breaking-up-may-be-hard-to-do-but-try-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/HealthChicChatter.com\/?p=530","title":{"rendered":"“Breaking Up Is Hard to Do” …But Try It!"},"content":{"rendered":"
Sounds a little hard core, eh? Hear me out…<\/span><\/div>\n
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My last blog post talked about our social environment and the positive or negative influences that we face. The two professors responsible for this research about the power of our social networks made clear is that our abilities to resist negative influences and to gain positive ones aren’t without limits.\u00a0 (Btw, Christakis and Fowler are the two professors with this fascinating work. You can follow them @connected_book on Twitter.)<\/span><\/div>\n
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So…what does that mean, exactly? Well, it\u00a0means there might be times when saying \u201cbuh-bye\u201d to certain friends or social contacts is the healthier choice. What\u2019s that you say? #yesshesaidthat…especially if you are challenged with an addiction, OR\u2026if you know that a certain relationship is having a pronounced negative effect on your health, happiness or personal growth.<\/span><\/div>\n
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In situations like those, cutting loose of heavy anchors and freeing yourself to develop healthier circles of support may be an important step in staying true to your own positive trajectory. (Beam me up, Scotty!)<\/span><\/div>\n
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In most cases, however, the positive or negative impact of our social relationships isn\u2019t quite so cut and dried. I\u2019m a pizza lover\u2014oh, please don\u2019t ditch me! But\u2026maybe you should for a while if being with me is a trigger for unhealthy actions, you know? You may also have social contacts you don\u2019t really choose \u2014 like sedentary coworkers or negative-minded extended family and in-laws.<\/span><\/div>\n
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While some in your circle may pose a challenge to your health intentions, such less-than-perfect social contacts aren\u2019t cause to be concerned. You see, Christakis and Fowler believe that the broader and more varied your social network, the greater its potential benefits for both health and happiness. The reason is that although we tend to attribute our happiness to our closest, most significant relationships, research shows that it\u2019s also fed by regular exposure to small moments of pleasure, novelty and joy \u2014 things we stand a better chance of experiencing when we are socially connected and supported by more than just one or two other individuals.<\/span><\/div>\n
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Wow, that\u2019s huge. Small moments of pleasure. Novelty. Joy.<\/span><\/div>\n
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What\u2019s a girl (or guy) to do?\u00a0 Work on these three skills:<\/span><\/div>\n

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