Staying Connected

Dayle Haddon Wraps Up Her Series On Improving Your Life

(CBS)  We wrap up The Early Show's weeklong series on "The Five Principles of Ageless Living” and find out how "staying connected" can improve your life.

For the past five days, Dayle Haddon has given tips to live life long and healthy. Her advice on Friday explains that maintaining a connection with family, friends and the community is just as important to one's physical and emotional well being, “because that's the way we get a lot of value for ourselves.”

Haddon says, feeling connected to others is a great source of joy, and when we reach out to others, and they to us, we experience love in our life. When we lose this connection, she explains, we suffer.

In comparison to countries like Japan, Haddon says, where the average lifespan for a woman is the age of 84 and older, research shows that in the United States, lack of connection causes depression, and can even lead to physical debilitation.

Adults who are dissatisfied with the amount of support in their lives are more likely to suffer from depression than those with stronger social ties, according to Haddon. In addition, as a 1996 study in "Psychology & Aging" showed, adults 65 and older who undergo some kind of physical impairment often feel a decrease in "perceived" social connection.

When we reach out and connect to those around us, she says, we reverse this process.
Haddon says that there are many ways to "stay connected;" some are obvious, some are a bit more thoughtful. She recommends:

Staying in Touch

Haddon stresses how vital it is to stay in contact with friends and family. "Sometimes our personal relationships can become challenging simply because we are not up-to-date with each other's lives," Haddon writes. "When we don't know what's going on in someone's day-to-day life, we tend to imagine all sorts of things, especially in relation to ourselves. At the very least, we can feel neglected or allow others to feel so. When we do disconnect, for whatever reason, there is no better way to heal than to make the attempt to stay in touch, regularly and sincerely."

And what better way to stay in touch than on the telephone? It is a modern tool that makes staying connected easier.


Stay Active and Involved

In the book, Haddon talks about her mother, Terry, and how working has kept her vibrant and vital. "My mother is talented in so many areas, but growing up, she didn't have a lot of faith in her abilities," Haddon writes. "In her 50s, with her family grown, she realized that raising four children and running a household had fostered her gift for management and organization. She started managing a small medical office and was so successful at it that today, she runs all the office work and billing for 53 doctors. And they can't get along without her. She works five days a week, nine to five, and doesn't seem to be slowing down. By the way, did I mention that my mom is almost 80?"

Haddon says she keeps important relationships alive to make her feel vital and needed, but also to fulfill the needs of the people she works with who rely.

Do Something You Love for Others

Haddon says giving to others helps connect people because it brings joy. And she says our passions can serve real needs in communities, such as gardening in neglected neighborhoods, caring for animals in shelters, cooking for the homeless. Although the efforts may not be necessary, they may simply be very much appreciated.

Create Celebrations and Celebrate Birthdays

Haddon says she loves birthdays — her birthday and everyone else's. She explains birthdays gives people a chance to get together with friends, to love and celebrate each other. Haddon suggests making mountainous events out of birthday milestones and be creative.

According to Haddon, you're never to old for a birthday and be glad you're alive.

Practice Random Acts of Kindness

Haddon says we all have opportunities to be an angel and make a difference in someone's life. It doesn't have to be a difficult act, she says. As examples, you can donate your frequent flyer miles to those in need who are traveling for certain medical treatments or you can send an inner-city child to a Fresh Air camp.

She says we can also practice random acts of kindness simply by listening to others.

Staying connected is a way of sharing not only what we have, Haddon say, but also who we are. When we connect, we become part of the whole, part of the divine plan. Our role, she explains, however small, becomes more significant, and it is even more important for each of us to do our very best.