28: Bye bye loneliness: the role of friendship
02/11/22 • 22 min
From Project BFF HQ, Terri and Manya riff about loneliness and how having friends helps combat it.
We thrive when we are connected. And social connections are the key to happiness and health. "Loneliness can have long-term effects on health and is as lethal as smoking 15 cigarettes a day."
How to build a more connected life:
- Get to know yourself, connect with yourself and your own instincts
- Have/cultivate self-compassion. This can soften the blow of judgement and ridicule from people who don’t understand us
Obstacles to building friendships can raise the risk of loneliness. People skilled at friendship may have a natural defense against prolonged or severe loneliness. Those who are not yet as skilled can develop the habits and behaviors that support friendships.
Books and articles and resources we discuss:
Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World, by Vivek Murthy
Goodbye loneliness, Hello happiness - a prescription for healthier lives, in The Boston Globe
The Unlonely Project, The Foundation for Art & Healing
Emerging Together: The Tackling Loneliness Network Action Plan, UK government
#BeAFriend
*****
Thank you for listening.
After much reflection, we have made the difficult decision to shut down Project BFF and the podcast. Our last podcast episode aired on August 23, 2024. We are leaving the podcast live on Buzzsprout through the end of 2024.
We are proud of this podcast and honored to have hosted such amazing and engaging guests.
Our hope is that Project BFF and Friendshipable have inspired you to form new friendships, strengthen existing ones, and encourage others to do the same
Thank you for being a part of our story. The two of us have truly deepened our friendship during this time, and we look forward to new and memorable adventures together in and around New England, which serves as the adopted home for both of us.
With gratitude and friendship,
Manya and Terri
To contact us, you can email Manya at [email protected]
From Project BFF HQ, Terri and Manya riff about loneliness and how having friends helps combat it.
We thrive when we are connected. And social connections are the key to happiness and health. "Loneliness can have long-term effects on health and is as lethal as smoking 15 cigarettes a day."
How to build a more connected life:
- Get to know yourself, connect with yourself and your own instincts
- Have/cultivate self-compassion. This can soften the blow of judgement and ridicule from people who don’t understand us
Obstacles to building friendships can raise the risk of loneliness. People skilled at friendship may have a natural defense against prolonged or severe loneliness. Those who are not yet as skilled can develop the habits and behaviors that support friendships.
Books and articles and resources we discuss:
Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World, by Vivek Murthy
Goodbye loneliness, Hello happiness - a prescription for healthier lives, in The Boston Globe
The Unlonely Project, The Foundation for Art & Healing
Emerging Together: The Tackling Loneliness Network Action Plan, UK government
#BeAFriend
*****
Thank you for listening.
After much reflection, we have made the difficult decision to shut down Project BFF and the podcast. Our last podcast episode aired on August 23, 2024. We are leaving the podcast live on Buzzsprout through the end of 2024.
We are proud of this podcast and honored to have hosted such amazing and engaging guests.
Our hope is that Project BFF and Friendshipable have inspired you to form new friendships, strengthen existing ones, and encourage others to do the same
Thank you for being a part of our story. The two of us have truly deepened our friendship during this time, and we look forward to new and memorable adventures together in and around New England, which serves as the adopted home for both of us.
With gratitude and friendship,
Manya and Terri
To contact us, you can email Manya at [email protected]
Previous Episode
27: What is your friendship love language?
From Project BFF HQ, Terri and Manya riff about how love languages matter in friendships.
The 5 love languages:
- Words of affirmation
- Quality time
- Acts of services
- Gifts
- Physical touch
Just like in romantic relationships, it's helpful to understand what makes ourselves feel happy and loved, and what makes our friends feel happy and loved. Do you know what your primary love language is? Take this quiz to find out.
The book: The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts, by Gary Chapman, Ph.D.
Articles we discuss:
What Are The 5 Love Languages? Everything You Need To Know, on Mind Body Green
What Are The 5 Love Languages? on Verywell Mind
Here's How Understanding the 5 Love Languages Strengthened My Friendship, on HelloGiggles
#BeAFriend
*****
Thank you for listening.
After much reflection, we have made the difficult decision to shut down Project BFF and the podcast. Our last podcast episode aired on August 23, 2024. We are leaving the podcast live on Buzzsprout through the end of 2024.
We are proud of this podcast and honored to have hosted such amazing and engaging guests.
Our hope is that Project BFF and Friendshipable have inspired you to form new friendships, strengthen existing ones, and encourage others to do the same
Thank you for being a part of our story. The two of us have truly deepened our friendship during this time, and we look forward to new and memorable adventures together in and around New England, which serves as the adopted home for both of us.
With gratitude and friendship,
Manya and Terri
To contact us, you can email Manya at [email protected]
Next Episode
29: Why is it hard to make friends as an adult?
From Project BFF HQ, Terri and Manya riff about making friends as an adult. It doesn't just feel difficult, it absolutely can be challenging.
By the time we are adults our lives are more complex--families, children, work and career exceptions all take time and can make it harder to have time to devote to friendships. In addition, life just has a way of filtering people in and out of our lives as well, such as changes in politic beliefs, successes or failures (yours or your friends'), moving, strokes of luck, both good and bad, and even death.
It's estimated that it takes more than 200 hours of time together for someone to become a good friend. When you consider that the average American spends just 41 minutes a day socializing.
The pandemic has changed how some of us think about friends and friendships. With hours of isolation early in the podcast, we had some hard decisions to make about how to spend the time we did spend socializing, which friends and family to prioritize as we struggled with what was going on in the world around us.
Resources we talk about:
Why Making Friends in Midlife Is So Hard, by Katharine Smyth
How Many Hours Does it Take to Make a Friend? by Jeffrey Hall
It's Your Friends Who Break Your Heart, by Jennifer Senior
The Friendship Report, from Snapchat
#BeAFriend
*****
Thank you for listening.
After much reflection, we have made the difficult decision to shut down Project BFF and the podcast. Our last podcast episode aired on August 23, 2024. We are leaving the podcast live on Buzzsprout through the end of 2024.
We are proud of this podcast and honored to have hosted such amazing and engaging guests.
Our hope is that Project BFF and Friendshipable have inspired you to form new friendships, strengthen existing ones, and encourage others to do the same
Thank you for being a part of our story. The two of us have truly deepened our friendship during this time, and we look forward to new and memorable adventures together in and around New England, which serves as the adopted home for both of us.
With gratitude and friendship,
Manya and Terri
To contact us, you can email Manya at [email protected]
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