Sometimes friendship looks like a Saturday morning walk.
Sometimes it is a stokvel meeting, a church group, a colleague who notices that you are unusually quiet, or a neighbour who checks in when the curtains have stayed closed for too long.
These moments may seem ordinary.
But they can matter more than we realise.
For many South African women, connection is already woven into everyday life. Now, growing research is highlighting another side of those relationships: social connection is linked to better health, healthier everyday choices and a longer life.
According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), loneliness affects one in six people globally and is linked to an estimated 871,000 deaths each year.
That puts friendship and connection in a different light.
They are not simply good for the soul. They can also play a role in supporting wellbeing and prevention.
Women need support too
Women are often the people holding families and communities together.
They organise. They care. They check in. They remember appointments. They support friends. They show up for everyone else.
Yet their own wellbeing can sometimes be pushed further down the list.
“Women are often the health anchors in their families and communities, but they can forget that their own wellbeing also needs support,” says Maria Carpenter, Head of Momentum Multiply.
“Strong friendships aren’t only emotionally meaningful, they can also help women take ownership of their physical, mental and social wellbeing. True health is more than the absence of illness; it is about feeling supported in the everyday choices that help you live well.”
So how can women turn the connections they already have into practical health habits?
Here are five places to start.
1. Get healthier together
Healthy habits can be easier to maintain when someone else is doing them with you.
Instead of trying to completely overhaul your lifestyle alone, bring your friendships into the process.
Start a Saturday morning walking group in your neighbourhood. Share simple healthy recipes on WhatsApp. Or create a “screening buddy” system, where you and a friend remind each other to book important health checks.
These can include checks such as blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, cervical screenings or mammograms.
The idea is simple.
When health becomes something you do together, it can feel less like another chore and more like connection.
2. Schedule connection before you feel overwhelmed
Friendship should not only appear when everything is falling apart.
Just as you put doctor’s appointments, school meetings and work deadlines into your calendar, make time for the relationships that help support your wellbeing.
It could be a monthly coffee date.
A weekly walk.
A regular lunch break with a colleague.
Or a Sunday evening voice-note exchange with a friend who lives far away.
Small moments can become valuable emotional checkpoints.
They can also create opportunities to notice when stress is building before it becomes overwhelming.
3. Ask the questions that really matter
“I’m fine.”
For many women, those two words can hide an entire story.
Sometimes the most meaningful form of friendship is asking a better question.
Instead of simply asking, “How are you?”, try asking:
“How are you really sleeping?”
“When last did you rest?”
“What is feeling heavy right now?”
“Have you eaten properly today?”
“Is there an appointment you have been putting off?”
These questions are not about interrogating someone.
They are about creating space for an honest conversation.
They can also encourage women to pause and pay attention to what their bodies and minds may be telling them.
4. Build different circles of support
One friend does not have to be everything.
One person might be your walking partner.
Another might be the friend you call when you need emotional support.
Another might be the person who makes you laugh when life becomes too serious.
Different circles can contribute to wellbeing in different ways.
These may include family, colleagues, neighbours, faith communities, stokvels, fitness groups or school networks.
The important thing is to recognise the relationships that energise, support and encourage healthier choices.
Then invest in them intentionally.
5. Let people support you too
This may be one of the hardest habits for women who are used to being the strong one.
Being the helper, organiser, caregiver or emotional anchor can become part of everyday life.
But accepting support matters too.
If a friend offers to accompany you to a medical appointment, accept.
If someone offers to drop off a meal, let them.
If a friend can watch the children while you rest, allow yourself that space.
And sometimes, support simply means having someone who will listen without judgement.
Accepting care is not weakness.
It can be part of staying well.
Health is more than knowing your numbers
“When people feel supported, they are more likely to keep going with the small actions that protect their health,” adds Carpenter.
“That is why complete wellbeing matters, because health ownership is not only about knowing your numbers, but also about building the daily habits, support systems and mental wellbeing that help people make healthier choices and sustain them.”
It is a reminder that health does not exist in isolation.
There are the physical choices we make. There is our mental wellbeing. There are our routines. And there are the people around us who can encourage us when motivation disappears.
Let someone walk beside you
Your health journey does not have to be a solo journey.
The friendships already woven into your everyday life may be supporting your wellbeing in more ways than you realise.
A walking group can become a health habit.
A WhatsApp message can become a much-needed check-in.
A friend can remind you about the appointment you have been avoiding.
And allowing someone to care for you can give you the space to recover when life becomes demanding.
You do not need to transform everything overnight.
Start small.
Schedule the walk.
Send the voice note.
Create the screening buddy system.
Ask someone you care about, “How are you really doing?”
Because sometimes, owning your health starts with something surprisingly simple:
letting someone walk beside you.
To know your health, support your wellbeing and be rewarded for choices that help you own your health journey, visit Momentum Multiply.
