Make time for people
Reach out to friends, family or neighbors each week, and build in regular shared activities.
- How often
- Weekly
- Time
- Varies
- Recommended for
- 21 factors
How to do it
- Schedule a regular call, meal or walk with someone you care about. Put it on the calendar like any other appointment.
- Join something that meets regularly, such as a class, team, club, faith community or volunteer group.
- Get to know neighbors and coworkers, the people who can help with rides or last-minute childcare.
- Give back. Volunteering builds relationships and a sense of purpose.
- If you work alone, remotely or at odd hours, plan your connection deliberately.
Why it helps
Strong relationships help people live longer, healthier lives. Social connection is linked to lower risk of heart disease, stroke, dementia, depression and anxiety, and may help with stress and sleep. Loneliness and isolation are linked to higher risk of high blood pressure, weakened immunity, cognitive decline and earlier death.
Be careful
If loneliness comes with persistent low mood or thoughts of self-harm, talk to a doctor or call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Recommended for
Call center agent
Headset on, calls back to back, timed and monitored.
habitCaregiving for an adult
Helping a parent, partner or relative with daily life, often nonstop.
habitCollege student
Late nights, long study sessions, dining-hall meals and a new social world.
occupationContent creator
Streaming, editing and gaming for hours, often late into the night.
occupationFirefighter
Extreme heat, heavy gear, smoke, sleepless shifts and traumatic calls.
occupationFlight attendant
On your feet in a moving cabin, across time zones, lifting bags overhead.
habitHigh-stress periods
Deadlines, money worries, a move, a loss, or all of them at once.
placeIllinois
High-radon soil, dark winters, cold snaps and deadly summer heat waves.
habitLiving alone
Your own space and schedule, and nobody else around by default.
habitNight shift work
Awake when your body expects to sleep, asleep when the world is loud.
occupationNurse
Twelve-hour shifts on your feet, lifting, turning and rarely sitting down.
habitOngoing sleep loss
Night feeds, early alarms or a busy mind, and never quite enough sleep.
habitParenting young children
Lifting, carrying, bending and rocking all day, on broken sleep.
occupationPhysician
Long, high-stakes days with little time to eat, move or sleep.
occupationPolice officer
Long shifts in a patrol car, heavy gear and moments of high stress.
occupationRemote worker
Laptop on the kitchen table, no commute, no reason to leave the house.
occupationRetail worker
On your feet all shift, stocking shelves and helping customers.
occupationStay-at-home parent
Lifting, carrying and caring around the clock, with little time for yourself.
occupationTeacher
Talking all day, on your feet, with a classroom of needs to manage.
occupationTruck driver
Long hours behind the wheel, irregular sleep and food from truck stops.
habitWorking from the couch or bed
Laptop on your lap, pillows behind your back, no commute and no desk.