As humans, we are social creatures, hardwired to live in small groups with many close, positive connections.
The modern world has taken humans out of this natural environment and forces most of us to live either by ourselves or with only one or two people.
When we do not have enough social interaction, we can become sad, lonely, and possibly even depressed.
You need to have a certain number of healthy, positive relationships in order to be healthy, not to mention happy. How many is a varied number for each person. Everyone seems to have a minimum level of social interaction they need to be mentally healthy, and that?s probably tied to the number of relationships they need.
Introverts probably need fewer relationships than extroverts, for example. What matters far more than the quantity of those relationships is the quality of them. You need to have healthy, positive relationships. Negative or toxic relationships are just as, if not more, harmful than not having any relationships at all.
What should you do if you don?t have enough positive relationships? Work on connecting with other people and developing some. Join groups or clubs in person or on-line dedicated to your interests.
You might start volunteering for a cause you care about. Get out of the house and start meeting people. Once you meet people you like, slowly deepen the relationship by spending time with them. Learn to open up and be vulnerable.
The above is what I did when I was moving beyond depression. I started taking classes at local stores and volunteered to work at a barn to learn about horses. Doing this I met many different people and am still in contact with some of them now.
If you have negative or toxic relationships, you need to work on those too. Own up to any toxic behavior of your own. Do your best to repair the relationship. If that doesn?t work, you need to end it or distance yourself from it. Life is too short for bad relationships!
