Pillar 3: Seeking Family, Community and Support: Because No One Gets Healthy Alone

In the pursuit of lasting health and well-being, one of the most underestimated superpowers is connection. That’s why Pillar 3 of the Life by Natural Causes learning system focuses entirely on building, nurturing, and drawing strength from your network of support—including your Team Healthy Me.

Whether you’re aiming to prevent chronic illness, manage stress, or simply feel more grounded, having a strong circle of people and places around you can mean the difference between slipping and soaring. Let’s explore how you can activate this pillar in your life.

1. Assemble Your Team Healthy Me

You are the CEO of your health. That means choosing a personal team who supports—not sabotages—your goals.

• Set goals and stay on track: Supportive people help you clarify what you want, and hold you accountable.
• Receive quality care: Having a friend in the doctor’s office, a sibling at your side, or a trusted health coach can change how you navigate care.
• Have a coach on call: A coach (formal or informal) can help you translate new knowledge into real behavior change.
• Deal with emergencies: A strong network helps you prepare for and recover from life’s unexpected health curveballs.

Pro tip: Think of it as assembling your own board of directors—some may offer practical advice; others bring empathy or humor. All are essential.

2. Prioritize Real Conversations

Fast texts and emoji replies aren’t enough for transformation. Resources found in Pillar 3 might challenge you to:

• Commit to meaningful conversations: Whether with a family member, therapist, or friend, go beyond small talk.
• Deepen your relationships: Ask the harder questions. Share the stories. Sit longer in silence. These are the roots of real connection.
• Defeat loneliness: Loneliness has a health cost—some say comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. A robust support system protects your body and your soul.

Key Insight: True connection heals. It begins with vulnerability and presence.

3. Lean into Places of Connection

Sometimes it’s not just who but where you connect that shapes your health.

• Seek out places of connection: That might be a Sunday dinner table, a hiking group, a place of worship, or even a local community garden.
• Draw on contagious behavior: Healthy behaviors—like walking, laughing, or eating well—spread in groups.
• Build aesthetic intimacy: Share beauty, music, laughter, or rituals with others. These emotional touchpoints nourish the spirit.

Try This: Make a short list of your current connection spaces. Then add one new place this month where you’re likely to meet others who lift you higher.

4. Understand the Role of Modern Technology

Connection today is complicated. We’re more digitally linked than ever—and more emotionally distant.

• Realize the trouble with social media: It can distract, distort reality, and replace true connection with shallow approval.
• Choose presence over scrolling: Make space for actual conversations, meals together, and offline rituals.

Challenge: This week, call or visit someone you usually just “like” on social media. Watch what happens.

5. The End Game: Life-Long Health Outcomes

What can all this connection give you in return? Just about everything:

• Better physical and mental health
• More motivation to stay on track
• Stronger responses to illness
• More joy, less stress
• A sense that you are not alone on this journey

Final Thought

In the end, it’s not just about nutrition, movement, or even sleep—it’s about belonging. Who you journey with can make all the difference in where you end up.

So build your team. Join your community. Speak your truth. And remember—health is not a solo act. It’s a shared performance. It’s a team sport.

Life by Natural Causes (LBNC) is a Knowledge-to-Health Outcomes Learning System designed to engage users in behavior changes that will result in positive, health outcomes, all under the guidance of their health team. LBNC, currently in Beta development, has a launch target of 3QCY25.

Disclaimer: Only licensed MDs are authorized to make medical claims. We connect you with professionals trained to support and optimize your health outcomes. Always consult your physician — ideally one trained in functional medicine — or another qualified provider regarding any medical concerns.