All You Need Is Love
“Don’t find love, let love find you. That’s why it’s called falling in love because you don’t force yourself to fall, you just fall.” ~Unknown
Happy Valentine’s Day! For many of us today, today is a day to rejoice the affections of a loved one, pine for the love of a particular person or to revile the day as a commercial fraud. Whichever way you lean, there are a few things you should know before passing final judgment.
It is known that the Roman Emperor Claudius II had a priest named Valentine put to death of February 14th. There is debate as to the true reasons behind the martyrdom of this early priest, but one story suggests that despite a decree from the emperor that banned marriage of young men (because single men made better soldiers), Valentine still married young lovers in secret. Once it was found out, he was jailed and put to death around 270 AD. The early church set the day for Valentine’s Day as the 14th of February as to coincide with the day that he was put to death, but it is more likely that the early church picked the middle of February as it was also the same time of the Pagan celebration of Lupercalia, a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture. By placing the celebration of St. Valentine at the same time as the celebration of a Roman fertility god, the early church was able to win over many converts and in the 5th century, the celebration of Lupercalia was banned. Over the years, the rituals and customers that have developed with St. Valentine’s Day have evolved from secret letters and cards to open declarations of love and affection. It has become a multi-billion dollar industry as most countries in the western work celebrate one man’s effort to facilitate love.
Though there are those who scoff at the idea of love, love is a very real and tangible thing that lifts us up or can drive a person to madness. Jamie Ducharme of Time Magazine wrote an excellent article which shares 5 health benefits of love.
1. Love makes you happy.
Dopamine, the feel-good brain chemical, is especially active and acts as a mood intensifier that helps people feel extremely happy and very appreciative.
2. Love helps us to feel less stressed.
The bonding hormone, Oxytocin, is released which gives that warm and fuzzy feeling for your loved one. When people feel secure, they feel less stress as just being in the presence of a loved one can make a person feel more secure.
3. Love eases anxiety.
The feeling of loneliness acts as a stressor to the body helping it to create feelings of anxiety. This anxiety raises levels of cortisol and adrenaline which triggers the bodies stress response, so having feelings of love can counter these harmful feelings and restore calm within the body.
4. Love inspires up to take better care of ourselves.
Being in love has the benefit of people having the desire to take better care of themselves by either getting regular health check-ups or doing more regular maintenance by being active and eating well. People in love tend to act in a healthier manner not only for themselves but for their partner as well.
5. Love helps you live longer.
This statement makes total sense given the other health benefits of love. Studies have shown that couples in love enjoy a greater longevity of life. Lower stress levels, healthier lifestyles and a desire to be around for each other have been proven to help those in love to live a better life.
The good news that someone can get from the article is that to achieve these 5 benefits of love, a person can receive them from either a close friend or family member. Love is a gift that is often given in trust as an act of vulnerability. The sharing of oneself with another. In this world of social media and instant gratification, love still abounds as it has for thousands of years. The method of connecting may be different but the benefits as still just as valid and just as important as ever. I hope everyone has a wonderful day and I hope I have given you something new to think about if you are one of the few that scoffs at love. There is a song and I’m not sure who the author of it is, but it talks about how we get back what we give. In order to receive the love you want, you must first be willing to give…but that’s a topic for another day. Take care of yourself and each other, remember, we’re all in this together!
Wm Reid
Best Home Care Services
325 N Eastern Ave
Connersville, IN 47331
765-827-9833
wmreid@bhcshealth.com