By Mountain-Pacific Quality Health
July 22, 2022
We have all heard the common advice for good health: Eat a balanced diet. Exercise three times a week. Get at least seven hours of sleep a night. Avoid eating too much sugar and always remember to wear sunscreen. But how often have you heard perhaps the most important advice of all? Go out with your friends on a Friday night!
When talking about maintaining good physical and mental health, an important aspect that is not always included in the conversation is social wellness.
What is social wellness, and how does it make us healthier?
Simply put, social wellness refers to the relationships we have with the people around us. This not only includes our family and friends, but also our coworkers, peers and community members. Social wellness can go a long way toward improving aspects of our mental health, because creating and developing support systems means having people there when times get tough. Many of us know how good it feels to talk with a friend about a particularly trying or upsetting experience. This is social wellness at work!
Seeking out people with similar interests also gives us an opportunity to relate and engage on an emotional level. Building positive social circles with people we relate to can reinforce our sense of self and boost our self-esteem. It also raises our confidence, making us more comfortable establishing healthy boundaries and speaking up when we disagree with others.
A benefit to more than our mental health, building relationships also has a strong, positive influence on our habits and lifestyle. When we spend time with people who exercise and eat healthy foods, we are more likely to follow suit. Committing to those relationships often means we will also commit to those healthy habits. This can also help us break unhealthy habits. Spending more time with people who do not drink or smoke increases the likelihood that we will do the same.
Being more social brings a whole host of other health benefits. Supportive relationships strengthen our immune system, decrease health risks associated with social isolation and can even help us live longer.
Ready to take some steps to improve your social wellness? Here are some tips.
- Join a group that interests you, like a book club or sewing circle. This is a great way to make new friends and spend time with those you already have.
- Start a walking group. This will help you stay connected and get you and your friends moving!
- Volunteer at a local nonprofit, like a food bank, school or homeless shelter. Volunteering has been proven to combat depression and heart disease. You can help your community and stay healthy at the same time!
- Try a new physical activity, such as yoga, hiking or fly fishing. Plenty of classes exist for beginners, and trying something new will exercise your mind and body. You can also make some new friends along the way.
- Look for upcoming community events. Whether a public concert, a community cleanup initiative, a charity event or a town hall meeting, get out there and get involved!
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