People with diverse group memberships cope better with stress and are more resistant to illness. Join professional associations, form mastermind groups, or use Meetup.com to find communities that match your interests. Active participation in social networks provides emotional support and boosts resilience.
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Have you ever noticed how we tend to isolate ourselves when we're stressed out? Belonging to groups such as networks of friends, family, clubs, and sport teams improves mental health because they provide support, help you feel good about yourself, and keep you active. Interestingly, people with multiple group memberships cope better when faced with stressful situations and are even more likely to stay healthy when exposed to the cold virus, an unlikely cure for the common cold. If your professional life is causing you the most stress, consider reaching out and joining a professional association related to your line of work. You can attend meetings and interact with others coping with the same workplace demands and, potentially, form smaller mastermind groups with others looking for ongoing support and collaboration. On a personal level, one of the best ways to find new friends and groups of like-minded individuals is Meetup.com. There are groups for almost anything you can think of. A simple keyword search on this site for something that interests you will list all of the relevant groups nearest to where you live. You can join multiple groups and see which ones you like best. And if you don't find a group specific to your interest, consider starting a group yourself so that you can attract other folks with similar interests to you.
