“Friendship is the single most important thing affecting our psychological health and wellbeing, as well as our physical health and wellbeing.”

– Professor Robin Dunbar on friendship

Wellness Tip:

Make New Friends

The research is in, and it confirms what we all know deep down: human connection is crucial to health and happiness. 

But what if you lack close friends? Especially if you move around, making new friends as an adult can be difficult (here’s why: it takes a lot of time to build a friendship!). So:

• Focus on quality over quantity. Channel your time into a few deep friendships instead of surface-level social media connections.
• Join a club or sports team. It’s a tried-and-tested way to meet people.
• Commit to the process. Schedule in time to regularly meet with new friends.
• Get quality time. Avoid distractions when on friend dates (put the phone away!).

Here are some more tips. How do you go about making new friends?

Productivity Tip:

Channel Anger Into Something Productive

We think of anger as a bad thing, but it can be a useful emotion. Research even shows it’s beneficial to human survival. The key is how you deal with your anger – rumination and aggression are both unhelpful responses. 

Instead, here’s how to use heated feelings as fuel for productivity:

• Take a time-out. Pause before reacting. 
• Reflect and take notes on what you’re feeling and why. Journaling is great here.
• Move to release negative energy (yep hitting the boxing gym counts! 🥊).
• Do something creative. Paint, write, brainstorm ideas. 
• Talk to someone if you need to – a friend or a professional. 

Read more here and let us know how you go next time anger strikes.

Routine Breakdown

Steve Witt, Entrepreneur

The travel sector is booming again, meaning life is busy for early bird Steve Witt, Co-Founder of Not Just Travel. Every morning he:

• Checks social media, but from a work point of view. “I check what’s happened overnight – to see what buzz is about us. To see the latest trends in travel.”
• Starts the day with physical activity. “It wakes me up, gets my adrenaline pumping and blood to my brain.” Steve lives close to the beach and is an ex-windsurfing champion.
• Makes phone calls on the way to the office (”I talk to any other early birds.”) and typically arrives by 5.30 a.m.
• Doesn’t look at emails at all. “I catch up with work (creative/business planning) that I haven’t had time to do the day before. Then I work on projects that require my attention that I can only do when it’s quiet and I’m focused.”

Why it works:

• Limiting social media use keeps us from getting sucked into it and developing unhealthy tech habits.
• As well as fitness, morning exercise has benefits like improved cognitive function.
• Many people (especially lark chronotypes) do their best creative work in the mornings. It’s also a perfect time for doing focused work as you have more mental energy and fewer distractions.

Are you a night owl 🦉or a morning lark 🐦? Some experts say knowing your chronotype can help you maximize your energy throughout the day. Tell us about your experience.