What’s love got to do with it

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, we want to acknowledge and appreciate how good it feels to be loved, and to know it.  We are all guilty of not always telling our loved ones that we love them, and it might very well be that we are also not hearing it too often.  We are not only talking about that Cloud Nine feeling when you are in love – although that is probably one of the best feelings in the world, ever – but also the feeling of being safe as you are loved abundantly by family and friends.  

What is worrying is that many older people sit in retirement villages or old age homes, and are a little bit forgotten about, even by their own kids.  This is very worrying and could contribute to depression, suffering from a feeling of being ‘thrown away’.  In an ideal world, we should all be investing some time in visiting the elderly, read to them, present an activity or assist them on a walk through their retirement village.   Groups from Churches, Schools and even your workplace could get together and visit an Old Age Home to just talk to some of the people and maybe have a cup of tea.  Of course, we need to think about safety as Covid is still very much a reality, but wouldn’t it be great if we could all jump in and make a difference in some elderly lives?  Singing to them, playing an instrument, reciting poetry, doing an arts and crafts activity, there are so many things one could do.

Oxytocin and dopamine are the feelgood hormones and are associated with better overall health.  Lasting love is also consistently linked to lower levels of stress according to healthline.com and it is suggested in research done in 2010 that single people may have higher levels of cortisol which is the stress hormone.  Maybe that is why so many people keep pets.  The unconditional love and pure joy you receive from a dog for instance, can keep you happy and healthy.

Maybe this Valentine’s Day – and the other 364 days as well – we should focus on telling our loved ones that they are loved.  Let’s start an “I love you” revolution, it could only have a positive spin off.  As dopamine is released when we feel loved and content, this is providing you with an overall good feeling and it therefore turns out that love does have a lot to do with it. 

Medwell SA offers various services countrywide.  For more information visit www.medwell.co.za