Have emotional support

Emotional support — having people who listen, validate, and care — is not a comfort but a biological necessity. Baumeister and Leary's belongingness hypothesis demonstrates that humans have a fundamental need to form and maintain close emotional bonds, and that deprivation of these bonds produces consequences as severe as physical pain. Neuroimaging research shows that social support literally dampens the brain's threat response: holding a partner's hand during a stressful event reduces activation in pain-processing regions. Deci and Ryan's self-determination theory identifies relatedness — feeling connected to and cared for by others — as one of three basic psychological needs. People with strong emotional support networks recover faster from illness, cope better with trauma, and are significantly less likely to develop depression.

• 1
  You have no one you feel comfortable calling during a personal crisis
• 2
  You consistently process difficult emotions alone because you believe asking for support is weakness
• 3
  You feel emotionally exhausted because you provide support to others but receive little in return
• 4
  You have not had a conversation where you felt truly heard and understood in the past month

Consider these questions to understand where you stand: