I believe there are two things that are good for our mental health, our spiritual health and even our physical health.
The first is connection. We need connection. No man is an island onto himself. Those are the famous words of John Donne. They are true. We are social beings. We are made for relationships. We thrive on relationships. Loneliness is not good for us. It creates darkness in our hearts which can cause depression. I know we sometimes need to withdraw, to retreat into ourselves. But I also know we can push people away. Don’t give into the temptation to stay isolated. Instead stay connected. Create relationships, maintain relationships. I acknowledge that maintaining relationships can be hard work. But the effort is worth it.
The second thing that is good for us is service. The happiest people I know are those who have found some way of serving others. Our lives are not just about ourselves and our own needs. They are for others too. In fact, unless and until we give our lives away to others we do not have them ourselves at any deep level. That sounds like a paradox. Well it is a paradox. It is the paradox of maturing, of growing, of becoming a fulfilled human being. The late actress, Audrey Hepburn once said, “As I got older I discovered that I had two hands. One for helping myself, the second for helping others.” Audrey Hepburn found a way of helping others. Her humanitarian work especially for the people in Africa is well documented. She was a happy, fulfilled and indeed beautiful woman. We can find a way of helping other people too, of becoming involved, of contributing, of serving. If we do, this will not only make a difference to the lives of others. It will make a difference to our own lives too.