Counsel #6 — Connect With Others

Picture: Counsel #6 — Connect With OthersCWe 45.1

Social support is super important for dealing with stress. Hang out with friends who speak words of hope, faith, and courage. Equally important, invite or include people into your friend group who also may feel stressed, lonely, isolated, or friendless—you also can be that friend who is uplifting. When we spend time with people we feel safe and comfortable with, we tend to relax and let go of our worries.CWe 45.2

Connecting with others can also help to build resilience and increase our ability to bounce back from difficult experiences. Strong social connections improve our ability to cope with stress and adversity. Positive connection with others can be found at church, at work, in a hobby group, through volunteer activities, or by simply going for a walk with a friend. Try to connect regularly!^{[51]https://www.adventist.org/son/no-greater-friend/}CWe 45.3

“The sweetness of a man’s friend gives delight by hearty counsel. Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend.” Proverbs 27:9, 10 NKJVCWe 45.4

“Things will go wrong with every one; sadness and discouragement press every soul; then a personal presence, a friend who will comfort and impart strength, will turn back the darts of the enemy that are aimed to destroy…. In hours of temptation, in a crisis, what a value is a true friend!” Ellen White in Sons and Daughters of God, p. 161CWe 45.5

Reflect: What do you appreciate about your best friends?CWe 45.6