This is a very true concept.

We recently built a house in a neighborhood that purposely has no privacy fences, it’s open concept. All of our yards have low cedar fencing you can clearly see through. This encourages neighbors to actually get to know one another. It works; I haven’t felt this connected to people since I grew up playing with the neighborhood kids. Everyone living here feels the same way. Oh and I’m an introvert. I just realized that continual isolation is not great for mental health.

Get out there and actually ask how your neighbor is doing and be interested in their response. Be willing to help. You’ll feel better than you have in a long time. We are social creatures and need that. Feel like the world is collapsing? Then get out of your own way and help someone else. It’s a feeling you can’t buy. The richest people are those that have the most connections. They’re usually the happiest and most mentally stable too. It all starts by being willing to say how’s it going? Where are you from? What brings you here? Everyone has a story and we all love to talk about ourselves. It just takes some longer than others to open up.

I have an elderly retired neighbor that sits in front of his house most days and hands dog treats out to the dogs being walked by. He knows all of them and their owners. He’s made some awesome connections and friends. Everyone knows him and when someone is in need he isn’t afraid to ask the other neighbors to help. It’s a great relationship with someone others would see as a nosy neighbor. For us he’s a connection to other neighbors we haven’t met yet due to time at work, etc. He’s one of my all time favorite people just because he actually cares about us all. Be that person. You can do it!