Did you know that having healthy relationships can improve overall health? It is called social wellness or social well-being. In this era of non-face-to-face digital social networking, people are becoming more isolated than ever. The health risks of isolation have been proven to be comparable to those of smoking cigarettes, high blood pressure and obesity.
From the time you are born, your relationships help you learn to navigate the world. You learn how to interact with others, express yourself, conduct everyday health habits, and be a part of different communities from those around you. Positive social habits can help you build support systems and achieve greater well-being.
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What Is Social Wellness?
Social wellness is about nurturing ourselves, others and our relationships. Social wellness consists of not only balancing our own physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health, but also actively participating as an interdependent piece of the bigger puzzle of humankind. Thus, even as we care about our personal connections, we also care about the greater good of society, including our communities and the environment.
Social wellness involves openly communicating needs, feelings, thoughts and desires to those we trust, and actively listening with empathy when they share with us. It involves engaging in and enjoying positive interactions with other people in work and leisure and building and maintaining meaningful friendships, intimate relationships and professional connections.
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Why Is Social Wellness Important?
The reason why social wellness is so important is that people who have healthy relationships, and a strong social network tend to live longer and respond better to stress. This reduction in stress and anxiety results in a healthier endocrine system, healthier cardiovascular functioning and an enhanced immune system.
One of the biggest benefits of having good social wellness is the presence of a social support network. This network can be close friends and family members to turn to when you are in need or in a crisis situation. Your support team can offer assistance, perspective and insight to a situation that may have caused your judgment to become clouded.
This support can come in three different forms:
- Emotional — when someone else’s actions make you feel cared for.
- Instrumental — something physical such as lending money or cooking a meal.
- Informational — providing information to help someone else.
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How Can You Improve Your Social Wellness?
Although the implications of loneliness are disheartening, you can take steps to improve your social well- ness. Here are a few ways to enhance your relationships with others and cultivate social wellness:
1 — Disconnect to connect
Although technology has many positives, it also can be a barrier to connecting with others at home and work. Make it a regular routine to disconnect from technology every day to spend time in face-to-face communication with family members and professional colleagues.
2— Make connections
Social connections might help protect health and lengthen life. Scientists are finding that our links to others can have powerful effects on our health. Whether with family, friends, neighbours, romantic partners, or others, social connections can influence our biology and well-being. Look for ways to get involved with others.
3 — Improve your communication skills
Communicate in person whenever possible. Learn to use “I” statements, such as “I need to talk to you,” instead of “you” statements such as, “You don’t listen”. Consider taking a class in communication skills if you believe yours need some improvement.
4 — Make an action plan
When you make a plan to connect with others and put it in your calendar, you’re more likely to follow through. Don’t just wait for it to happen; you can be proactive about your social wellness.
5 — Connect with your community
Volunteering can give you a sense of self-worth and connect you to other people. Consider joining a local group focused on an activity you enjoy or one that you’d like to learn more about. If your time is limited, you can follow local community volunteer groups on social media. Seeing someone’s Instagram post of tulips blooming in spring that you helped to plant can help you feel socially connected.
6 — Get active together
Where you live, work, or go to school can have a big impact on how much you move and even how much you weigh. Being active with others in your community can have a positive effect on your health and create opportunities to connect. You can help your community create ways to encourage more physical activity.
7 — Be positive
When you have a positive outlook, other people will enjoy being with you and you’ll enjoy yourself. Put disappointments, complaints, and worries aside for a while and enjoy the present.
8 — Evaluate your emotional intelligence
Are you sensitive to others’ emotions? If not, you may be missing signals they’re giving you about what they need from you as a friend or family member. Take an interpersonal skills test to find out areas where you can improve.
9— Celebrate and compliment your family and friends.
Take time to bolster your family members and friends with a call or visit. Don’t wait for birthdays to celebrate; it’s always a good time to send a card or connect in person. Make a regular habit of complimenting and thanking people when it’s deserved. The book How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie has some great suggestions.
10 — Smile and learn people’s names
There is great value in smiling and remembering people by their first name. Dale Carnegie once said, “A person’s name is to him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language”. When you use someone’s name, you show respect and attention to what matters to them.
11 — Improve time management
When you arrive on time, you show that you respect and value others. Don’t keep people waiting. If you get to work 15 minutes ahead of time, you’ll feel less flustered and you may have a minute to share a smile with a coworker, which can bolster you for the day ahead.
12 — Take care of yourself while caring for others
Many of us will end up becoming a caregiver at some point in our lives. The stress and strain of caregiving can take a toll on your health. It’s important to find ways to care for your health while caring for others. Depending on your circumstances, some self-care strategies may be more difficult to carry out than others. Choose ones that work for you.
13— Learn to disagree, or argue in a positive, constructive way
Psychologist, John Gottman, PhD, who was the executive director of the Relationship Research Institute, points out that most couples argue from time to time, as do friends and coworkers, and that’s not necessarily bad. The important thing is to know the right way to argue. Relationships can thrive when people know how to successfully deal with conflict.
14— Build Healthy Relationships
Strong, healthy relationships are important throughout your life. They can impact your mental and physical well-being. As a child you learn the social skills you need to form and maintain relationships with others. But at any age you can learn ways to improve your relationships. It’s important to know what a healthy relationship looks like and how to keep your connections supportive.
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Cultivating social wellness is like keeping a flower garden — it takes intention, energy, time, care and effort and is an ongoing process that requires attention throughout our entire life.
It is important to choose a proper plot, carefully prepare the soil, plant the best seeds, and be sure to provide plenty of water and nutrients. In gardening, as in relationships, providing protection from bad weather and regularly weeding out negativity helps to ensure continued growth and beautiful blossoms for a lifetime!
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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