July is Social Wellness Month. Social wellness means taking care of yourself and your relationships. Relationships can be as “big” as your family/friends or “small” as the cashier at the grocery store. Social wellness means giving and receiving support when it’s needed. It can strengthen your quality of life and act as a buffer to negative life events. Forms social support can take include:
- Emotional: actions that make someone else feel cared for
- Instrumental: physical support, like money or housekeeping
- Informational: providing information to help someone
- Appraisal: information given to you that helps with your self-evaluation. Think – that color is great on you.
Source: Kadalyst (Social Wellness: Overall Health – YouTube)
Benefits of Social Wellness
Having a positive support system can help:
- Improve the immune system’s ability to fight off infectious diseases.
- Contribute to a healthy heart.
- Provide healthier blood pressure.
- Improve cardiovascular functioning.
- Provide a healthier endocrine system. (Endocrine systems regulates and releases hormones and makes hormones for mood, development, and growth.)
- Help people live longer and have a better emotional resilience.
A strong social system can also help prevent loneliness. Loneliness is associated with higher rates of:
- Depression, anxiety, and suicide
- Mental health is one reason why some choose to start using tobacco products or pick up their tobacco product of choice if they are already using.
- Heart disease, heart failure, and stroke
- Dementia
- Premature death
Source: CDC’s Tips from a Former Smoker, Rebecca (Rebecca M.’s Story | Real Stories | Tips From Former Smokers | CDC)
Taking Care of Your Social Wellness
- Practice self-care: get enough sleep, drink water, know your limits – whatever that means (I see you introverts! But it could mean that you’re not hiking a mountain with some acquaintances because you’re afraid of heights.)
- Exercise: start a neighborhood walk group, join a sports club, etc. Whatever it is, do what you enjoy doing.
- Volunteer: you get to help local organizations while meeting people with similar interests and passions.
- Take a Class: you might connect with someone cool who also has at least one similar interest.
- Ask For Help: don’t hesitate to ask for help moving furniture, running errands, or anything else you need help with.
- Join a Support or Networking Group: whether you need support for your mental health or want to join a hiking group, there’s probably a group out there to help with that. If there’s not one in your area, consider starting one.
- Call a Friend and Catch Up: life gets busy. Don’t forget to check-in with people. It could be a quick “hey, I saw this and thought of you” type message.
References
