Human Connection Series | Episode 2: Healing and Mental Wellness through Connection
"Abusive or neglectful relationships can make connection to others feel impossible and lead to deeper loneliness."
June 2, 2025
TL;DR
Human connections are essential for mental wellness: Building relationships with others — whether through family, friends, or support groups — provides emotional support, helping individuals manage challenges like depression and anxiety. However, unhealthy relationships can deepen feelings of loneliness.
Non-human connections can also foster healing: Bonding with animals, nature, or even fictional characters offers therapeutic benefits. Animal interaction can improve mental health, while spending time in nature reduces stress. Fictional stories reflect our struggles, providing solace and hope.
Spirituality and cultural identity offer grounding: Spiritual practices help individuals cope with stress and find meaning during difficult times, while connecting with one’s heritage fosters a sense of belonging and resilience.
Connection is fundamental to physical health: Research shows that feeling connected improves both mental and physical health, boosting immunity and protecting against illnesses like cancer, but loneliness remains a growing public health issue.
Connecting to something beyond ourselves, whether it be a night under the stars, a deep conversation with a friend, or a sleepy cat purring on your chest, can be profoundly soothing. Over time, moments of connection like these can have a lasting impact on our emotional well-being.
Humans are deeply social creatures. Our need for belonging is ingrained into our psyche and has helped us survive for millions of years. The psychological theory of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs signifies the need for social belonging and connectedness, surpassed only by that for food, water, and safety.
This need for connection is foundational to both mental and physical health. Research has shown that feeling connected to others can improve mental illness symptoms, like depression, anxiety, and PTSD, while also protecting us against physical illnesses. It can boost our immune system, improve heart health, and can even protect us from serious illnesses like cancer.
What happens when this need for connection is not met? The modern age has offered us worldwide connection through our fingertips. However, an increasing number of people report feeling disconnected. Loneliness has become a pandemic and is linked to serious mental health issues, like suicidal ideation.
Forming authentic connections is the main way to mitigate these effects and foster wellness in ourselves. Here are a plethora of ways we can connect:
1. Connection with People
Building authentic connections with others is a fundamental way to ensure mental wellness. Whether it be with family, friends, or support groups, relationships built on trust and love are a necessity and can offer protection against mental illness.
Yet, not all relationships are healthy. Abusive or neglectful relationships can make connection to others feel impossible and lead to deeper loneliness. It’s important to discern whether the connections you have are based on unconditional love or judgment. People who cause you pain or anxiety are the antithesis to authentic connections.
There are others beyond immediate relationships. Group therapy and support groups allow connection between people struggling with similar issues who may not find understanding elsewhere. Through vulnerability and validation, these groups allow people to heal together.
Connection through hobbies or interests can be particularly fun. Fan clubs, group chats, social media, D&D campaigns, sports leagues, and others can all cultivate connection and bring out the inner child in a way that family and support groups may not.
Connection through community can also provide a sense of belonging, particularly for racial minorities or immigrants. For LGBTQ+ individuals, connecting and celebrating their identity together can offer deep levels of validation and reduce feelings of shame and isolation.
Connection is of paramount importance to mental wellness in healing. However, meaningful connections aren’t always accessible to everyone.There are many layers to loneliness, and the ability to connect with humans can be a privilege available only to some.
Connection can be hard when:
Your family and friends are abusive, and lead to deep trust issues;
You are a gender, racial or sexual minority around unsafe people and spaces;
You are houseless or in violent or impoverished communities;
You have a mental disorder or developmental disability, such as depression, social anxiety, autism, schizophrenia, or others that hinder your ability to connect with people, particularly if they are judgmental;
You are physically disabled;
You are going through temporary periods of isolation in life that make connection difficult, like hospitalization or incarceration.
When connecting with people isn’t possible, we can connect with other sources of healing.
2. Connection with Animals
Animals are our evolutionary siblings and friends across millenia. They can provide unconditional love and companionship without judgment, offering a unique form of healing.
Research has shown that interacting with animals can improve symptoms of anxiety, depression, and PTSD. So beneficial are the effects that animal assisted therapy (AAT) has become a recognized form of treatment for mental disorders. Service and cancer therapy dogs have proven to better physical health as well. For those who struggle to connect with people, animals can be the consistent, non-judgmental presence they need.
3. Connection with Nature
Being in nature is a great source of healing. Practices like forest bathing, hiking, gardening, or simply sitting in a park have been shown to improve mood, reduce stress, and instill a sense of inner calm.
Nature also reminds us of the interconnectedness of all life. Standing beneath the night sky, under a canopy of tree tops, or simply knowing that we are made of trillions of cells that work diligently to keep us alive, can allow us to reconnect with the world and remind us that we are an integral part of it. It offers us perspective and a sense of belonging to something larger than ourselves. Through this, connection with nature can foster mindfulness, ground us in the present moment, and contribute to mental wellness.
4. Connection with Spirituality or Religion
For many, spirituality or religion can provide another source of connection. Spiritual connection can help individuals navigate grief, trauma, and existential crises. Specifically, research has shown that spirituality helps protect us from the negative impacts of stress.
Like nature, feeling connected to something greater than ourselves can be incredibly healing. The act of leaving things up to a higher source, believing that difficulties happen for a reason, or simply having gratitude can take a lot of guesswork out of life and make it easier to think more positively. Religious or spiritual communities can also serve as supportive networks where people find solace in shared beliefs. Spiritual practices such as mindfulness, meditation, or yoga offer physical benefits and contribute to reduced stress.
5. Connection with Culture and Family History
Connection can also come from our past and culture. Understanding our heritage and family lineage can provide a sense of identity. Connecting with cultural identity can also be a protective factor against mental illness, particularly against substance use among Indigenous adolescents and the detrimental effects of racism among African Americans.
Our ancestors’ stories form a part of who we are. When we connect with our roots, whether through language, cooking, storytelling, cultural traditions or even genealogical research, we can draw resilience from the knowledge that we are part of a larger human story.
Even simply looking into the mirror and knowing that your face is a mix of countless ancestors can be a powerful reminder that your existence is not singular. You are related to hundreds upon hundreds of people, and have never truly been alone.
6. Connection with Fictional Characters
Fictional characters can be overlooked in the ways they provide connection. The various settings across books, movies, shows or video games often demand that characters have great depth and a grand journey of self-realization. These uniquely human stories can be a reflection of our own struggles and allow people to relate deeply with characters who overcome hardships.
Children’s movies in particular can artfully depict life’s greatest lessons. Finding Nemo demonstrates the hurdles we can overcome by working together despite our differences while WALL-E reminds us to find joy in the present moment. Superheroes, Disney princesses, video game protagonists and others who save the world captivate us because they reflect our deepest desires for courage, hope, inner goodness, and resilience. They are symbols of the battles we fight within ourselves. Fictional worlds can also be an escape from the stress of life while fan communities and online forums allow people to connect through their love for these stories.
All in all, there are numerous ways in which we can connect. People, animals, nature, spirituality, cultural identity, and even fictional characters can all offer a level of connection that has the power to heal our minds and bodies. From improving PTSD to healing cancer, connection is a human necessity that has a powerful impact on our wellness. So, the next time you’re feeling down, take a moment to pet your dog, replay your favorite game, talk to a friend, or simply look in the mirror and remember that you are never alone.