Social wellness is validated by being inclusive with our loved ones – and nullified by being always exclusive
Fizza Junaid
Social Wellness plays an immense role in the ways ‘how a person experiences this world’. The methods to improve your social wellness given below will help you shape deeper connections. They will also assist you in getting an answer on how you can be a part of something bigger than just yourself.
Table of Contents
What is Social Wellness?
Social wellness is the ability of an individual to stimulate a sense of belonging and connection. Moreover, it expresses the quality of your relationships with everything around you.
The term encompasses:
- The communication abilities
- Capacity to develop meaningful relationships
- Interpersonal skills
There is no single set of rules to practice social health. Generally, lifestyle habits and behaviors together promote strong relationships with family, peers, and even strangers.
Being socially well and active means:
- Knowing how to communicate your thoughts
- Actively listening to others
- Treating yourself with respect
- Knowing how to express your feelings and ideas
- Having a strong connection with loved ones and surroundings
How Does Social Health Affect Your Overall Wellness?
It might seem oversimplification but our social connections have a great impact on our brain health. Every relationship including family dynamics, romantic partners, and friendships all contribute to our overall social well-being. Harvard Medicine School studies suggest that the better your relationships get – the better and happier you will live.
Methods to Improve Your Social Wellness
Social health and wellness practice can be as simple as creating a list of some habits you would like to integrate into your routine. This practice can also have pervasive advantages on your mental and physical health. Let’s have a look at the 10 best methods that you can incorporate to enjoy your social well-being.
1. Self-care with Intention and Mindfulness
We all practice selfcare gestures but do not realize it as it is part of our routine. For instance, brushing our teeth, eating fruits, and drinking extensive water. however, taking care of yourself is one step ahead – it means treating your body like a temple. It also includes adding intention and mindfulness to your selfcare routine.
The true concept of self-care means rewarding yourself after completing a job – taking an off day to get recharged and remembering that your body needs self-love too. Research has proven those who constantly take care of their body and minds have longer living chances than those who have poor self-care habits.
2. Maintain a Tight-Knit Circle with Loved Ones
When you have a poor support system it elevates cognitive decline, heart disease, depression, and in some cases increased mortality. Therefore, sometimes it’s necessary to remind yourself how damaging toxic relationships can be to our overall wellness.
On the contrary, when we have a strong support system – it positively influences our overall well-being. Always try to get along with good and positive people. Keep tight-knit with your loved ones through various ways and make an effort to seek them out when you are under difficult circumstances. This is a give-and-take system – make sure to be there when your loved ones need you.
3. Stick to a Healthy Lifestyle
Sticking to a healthy routine is not only physically beneficial for you but also has positive impacts on the people around you. You start feeling better for instance after having enough sleep. Such routines might sound like work but studies suggest there are great benefits to practicing five healthy habits:
- Eating healthy
- Maintaining a normal waistline
- Exercising regularly
- Getting enough sleep
- Avoiding alcohol and smoking
People who maintain all of these five habits have more possibility to live longer. If you genuinely care about people around you – start caring yourself to take care of them.
11 Portion Control Tips from Nutritionists
If you are ready to make healthy diet modifications to your life, check out this article. This is surely going to help you attain healthy eating patterns without starvation and a strict diet plan. Moreover, all of these portion control tips are recommendations of nutritionists and keep your inner body healthy and nourished.
4. Allow Yourself Some Alone Time
Giving yourself a small break by getting some alone time helps improve your social wellness. Yes, believe it or not, but alone time allows a person to channel chaotic energy in a meaningful and healthy way. When we constantly stay around people – we start feeling drained. Getting away from others for a while helps us know ourselves and foster independence. This way we come back more organized and do not become codependent.
5. Set and Keep Healthy Boundaries
This includes both your professional and personal life. Setting and then keeping boundaries around yourself is one of the most crucial wellness elements. You can decide to tell your partner you would like to take some alone time. Similarly, you can decide to turn down long hours of work invitation. According to medical professionals, it’s healthy to keep boundaries as they allow us to explore who we really are.
6. Nurture Your Communication Skills
Having effective communication skills is a lifelong skill that needs constant practice and work. Through nurturing your communication skills, you actually set yourself to be a better parent, employee, friend, spouse, and leader. This way your socializing skills improve and help you shape a good relationship with everyone around you.
You can practice communication skills through:
- Active listening
- Improving your posture
- Making good eye contact
- Making yourself heard with productive communication
7. Follow Through on Your Words
It is a common phrase,
You are as good as your words are
This means a person should keep his promises under all conditions. You should do what you said you would be doing and must show up at the place on time you said you would be coming to. Keeping your promises is beneficial for both yourself and others as it’s the foundation of a healthy society. Hence, your promises have a great impact on your social wellness.
8. Thoughtful Use of Online Tools
Social media can be a tool to nurture your real-world relationships or can destroy them. There is an equal possibility both ways positive or negative, which depends on how you interact through social media networks. You can use online tools to boost and enhance your offline connections. For instance, you can video chat with friends living far away to keep your connection strong. Similarly, you can join a Facebook group of the local community to make meetup plans.
9. Check-In with Your Social Network
We often start feeling alone while going through a stressful time because we withdraw into ourselves. We should call on someone from our social network for help rather than keeping ourselves distinct. Because when we keep ourselves connected with a family member or a friend, it brings a huge difference in our emotional health.
You may need to ask for advice or to vent out – both are the sources of reassurance. The same goes for your loved ones, provide your assistance if someone is going through a hard time around you. This way you can build a great social wellness atmosphere.
10. Engage in Extracurriculars and Hobbies
Work is an important part of living a successful life but it isn’t everything. You can get numerous benefits by temporarily shutting down the voice in your head that always states 24/7 work. Engage in extracurriculars and hobbies to reduce your stress and get a work-life balance.
You can go on a hike if you are a nature lover or can join a recreational sports team. You can also indulge in some indoor activities like paint, taking a dance class, or whatever hobby that takes your mind off of work. If you include another person in your activity, it’ll add bonus points and help form deeper relationships.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I improve my social wellness if I am an introvert?
You can still improve your social wellness even if you are an introvert. Focus on nurturing your small group of loved ones and boosting your connection with closer friendships. Find out groups with friendly introvert interactions such as hiking clubs. Step forward at your own pace – quality rather than quantity.
What are some examples of social wellness?
Social wellness includes all concepts of human communication, for instance:
Effectively listening to others
Making good eye contact
expressing your ideas confidently
In fact, whatever healthy and positive method you use to interact with others makes a part of your social well-being.