Top 10 Social Wellness Tips
Social wellness is more than just keeping up with your social media accounts. It’s all about maintaining healthy social ties and relationships. It’s all about becoming aware of the importance of your role in society as a whole, and your community in particular.
It’s about learning how to deal with the various interactions you have with family members, friends and colleagues – all which can range from the tedious and infuriating to the fun and entertaining.
Social wellness also includes healthy ways of initiating communication with those around you and creating a support system which you can turn to in times of need, and likewise, they know they can depend on you when they have a problem.
Those who are socially isolated are known to suffer from depression, chronic illnesses and inflammations. On the other hand, staying socially active has the following benefits:
- Deal better with stress
- Fewer health problems
- Cholesterol levels improve
- Boosts self-esteem
- Helps release endorphins; ‘feel-good’ hormones
- Increased levels of immunoglobulin; an antibody that boosts immune system while preventing infections
- Develop empathy and compassion
- Develop strong, healthy relationships
Here are a few tips for help you stay socially connected:
1. Take care of your health
Good health and regular self-care practices make for a better and overall well you, and this means that all areas of your life will be well too.
2. Get to know you
When you identify your own desires, needs and values you are able to create the right social circle and communicate those to the people in it. Knowing yourself also allows you to develop healthy boundaries and build positive relationships.
3. Find a hobby
Doing something you like can be both relaxing and social activities at the same time. You can learn how to knit, join a book club, plant your own vegetable garden – all these are activities you can enjoy doing with people who share your interests.
Even if it’s online you’d still be interacting with others and creating your own group of friends. Besides, studies show that having a hobby can lower stress levels and boost your immune system.
4. Volunteer
Helping others releases feel-good hormones in your bloodstream and lifts your mood. Plus, it teaches you empathy and gratitude. It has a positive effect on you by giving your life meaning and purpose. It can also be a great opportunity to meet people with similar interests.
5. Set up healthy boundaries
It’s easy to get sucked in doing something you really don’t want to because your friends suggested it. But knowing what’s comfortable to you is part of being socially aware.
It also depends on your self-esteem level and how well you know yourself. When you’re confident in your own skin, you can allow people you trust in while letting people you’re not comfortable with know that there’s a line they can’t cross.
6. Join a class
Whether it’s a foreign language class, Business Management 101 or a dance or boot camp class, find something close to work or home where you will meet new people, have fun, and learn something new.
7. Be supportive to yourself
Stop the judging and criticizing yourself, which only promotes low self-esteem, depression and anxiety, all of which harm your social interactions.
8. Learn the art of resolving conflicts
Nobody likes confrontation and conflicts. But they will happen, whether in the workplace or at home. So instead of lashing out, or, worse, burying your head in the sand, learn how to deal with conflict to reach a solution that will please both sides with leaving behind feelings of resentment.
9. Be kind and thankful
Be grateful for the great people in your life. Be a kind and supportive friend. When things don’t go our way, it helps to focus on the good things in our lives.
10. Spend more time with supportive friends
We all know people who lift us up, make us feel more alive and sure of ourselves. Those are the people with whom you should spend a large part of your time.
Then there are those who make us feel less secure in our abilities and a bit discouraged and unhappy and those are the ones you should definitely spend less time with, or avoid altogether.