Friends good for your health

I recognize this is stating the obvious, but additional studies have come out revealing the health benefits of friendships.  According to the study, being highly social cuts dementia risk by 70%.  This makes sense.  If you are busy chatting it up with your bestie about that stupid thing you did that one time in high school when almost all of your friends got suspended (ahem..E, you know what I'm talking about), you aren't going to have time for Dementia.  You'll be busy laughing about how idiotic you were sixty years ago.   



"Socializing relieves stress, and there's a huge connection between stress and problems with the brain as we get older."


We shouldn't need scientific evidence to validate our need to make time for our friendships.  But if you are one of those very busy people that is working too much, or preoccupied with any and everything else in your life, take a step back.  Think about it- is all that other stuff making you happy?  If you hesitate, pick up your phone and call/text/email a friend.  I guarantee the response will leave you smiling.


Those are my grandparents over there in the picture.  The photo above was taken in February on my grandmother's 92nd birthday.  She has dementia and it makes me incredibly sad to see the bright sparks of her personality fade away.  I know she would have applied the above advice if she could have, but all of her friends started dropping like flies (read: dying).  She's one of the last ones left. 
 
The only thing we can really do is take care of ourselves, enjoy every day like it's our last, and hang out with our friends as soon as possible.  *Dear best friends, holla at me for a hang out asap!