Connecting With Others & Improving Communication Skills

When you're stressed and irritable, your instinct may be to wrap yourself in a cocoon. Instead, reach out to family and friends and make social connections. Social contact is a good stress reliever because it offers distraction, provides support, and helps you tolerate life's up and downs. So take a coffee break with a friend, email a relative or get ideas from the following websites:

• HelpGuide.org

• How to Improve Your Relationships With Effective Communication Skills

• Meetup.com serves to connect people around common interests. Visit the site to see the dozens of on-going groups in the Triangle or start a new one.