"You get more than just a little help from your friends, you get good health too, IF you have the right ones," Brigham Young University study (Prevention Magazine May 2011).
This article reminds us that a strong social network, with healthy people, improves our chances of living longer by 50%. It doubles one's chance to fight off colds and even to survive cancer. Lead study author Julianne Holt-Lunstad, PhD. says that not having close friends is as bad for us as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. I believe this is true, as long as one's friends are truly supportive. For me that means that they listen as much as they talk, they implement positive thinking into their lives, and that they truly want the best for themselves and others.
With the isolation of being a dementia caregiver, it is important to cultivate those types of friendships. I find that phone conversations with truly loving friends helps fill the void in my life. How do you find and maintain supportive friendships?
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