Alright, so, I’ve been messing around with this whole “connectedness” thing in psychology. It’s a trip, let me tell you. I started this whole thing because I read somewhere that feeling lonely is basically like your brain saying you’re not connected enough, and that can mess you up, big time. So, I thought, “Hey, I gotta check this out.”
First, I tried to figure out what “connectedness” even means. Like, is it having a bunch of friends? Is it feeling like you belong somewhere? I decided to focus on feeling connected to people and a place, like a community. Then, I thought I need to do something, like a real-life experiment to see whether it works or not.
I picked this group of international students because, I mean, talk about feeling out of place, right? New country, new language, new everything. They seemed like the perfect folks to see if boosting that sense of connection would do anything for them.
- So, I got this whole thing going where they would meet up regularly, do some activities together, you know, just hang out.
- We did some icebreaker games, some of them are super corny, but hey, they worked! People started laughing and opening up.
- Then we had some group discussions, sharing about their experiences, struggles, and all that stuff. It was a little awkward at first, nobody wanted to be the first to spill their guts, but eventually, they got into it.
- We even did some volunteering stuff in the local community, helping out at a soup kitchen and cleaning up a park. Just getting them involved, you know?
And you wouldn’t believe what happened! These students, they started to change. They seemed more relaxed, more confident. Some of them even told me they felt less homesick, less anxious. One student even said this was the first time he felt like he could be himself since he came to this country.
My Takeaway
This whole thing was eye-opening for me. It’s like, we all need that sense of belonging. It’s not just about having people around you, it’s about feeling like you’re a part of something bigger, you know? Like you matter. And it doesn’t take much. Just a little bit of effort to connect, to reach out, can make a huge difference in someone’s life. It definitely made a difference in mine. After the experiment, I felt a sense of fulfillment that I couldn’t describe. It also makes me realize that we are not alone in this world, and there is always someone out there who will listen and care.
I’m no expert, but I think this connectedness stuff is something we should all pay more attention to. It’s good for us, it’s good for the people around us, it’s just good. So yeah, that’s my little adventure into the world of connectedness. Hope you found it interesting!
