Definition of Social Wellness
Social wellness refers to the relationships we have and how we interact with others. Our relationships can offer support during difficult times. Social wellness involves building healthy, nurturing and supportive relationships as well as fostering a genuine connection with those around you. Conscious actions are important in learning how to balance your social life with your academic and professional lives. Social wellness also includes balancing the unique needs of romantic relationships with other parts of your life.
Why is Social Wellness Important?
Maintaining an optimal level of social wellness allows you to build healthy relationships with others. Having a supportive social network allows you to develop assertive skills and become comfortable with who you are in social situations. Surrounding yourself with a positive social network increases your self-esteem. Social wellness enables you to create boundaries that encourage communication, trust and conflict management. Having good social wellness is critical to building emotional resilience.
The Route to Social Wellness
As you begin your route to social wellness, you will discover that you have the power to enhance your personal relationships. Maintaining social wellness allows you to practice empathy and active listening. There are many ways you can begin your journey on the route to social wellness. Below are some suggestions on how to enhance your social wellness.
• Reflect on yourself and your social needs. What aspects of your social life do you enjoy? What parts would you like to improve?
• Make an effort to keep in touch with supportive friends and family.
• Practice self-disclosure.
• Participate in group discussions and practice active listening.
• Join a club or organization.
Tips to Maintain Social Wellness
1. Talk to a friend
2. Take some alone time
3. Exercise
4. Volunteer
5. Eat healthy
6. Go on vacation
7. Caring for animals
8. Laugh more
9. Good night rest
10. Meditation
Nobody attains perfection in his life, mainly because life is a process and will continue to evolve. However, people can perceive perfection in terms of satisfaction and happiness. To create social wellness, here are some of the most important steps you can take:
• Know your needs—we all have unique needs. What someone might find important may seem irrelevant to you and vice versa. Learn to identify what your needs are so you don’t feel the pressure to perform in an environment you don’t enjoy or care about.
• Reach out—offering friendship to people is a first step to social wellness. Without this initiative, it will be difficult for you to take advantage of potentially productive relationships. Consider joining groups and clubs that focus on your interests. Explore other avenues that may present certain possibilities for you, such as volunteer work and travel.
• Choose your relationships—some relationships take a toll on people. Sometimes, it could come from experiences with an abusive partner, an overbearing relative or an insincere friend. The problem here is that all of these can cause unnecessary strain on your emotional state and affect your ability to function socially.
• Learn to build and stay in healthy relationships—these relationships involve people you care about and who care about you and your well-being. Generally, these are people whom you feel can nurture and support your needs and whose needs you yourself can offer support for. Since there is trust and compassion, you feel safe and satisfied, two vital ingredients for social wellness.
• Don’t feel the pressure to conform—this is a rather tricky step because often, conformity is required in the society we live in. However, cooperating with standards and morals doesn’t necessarily mean changing yourself and becoming a person you are not. Everybody’s different and it’s our job to accept that. If you try to conform, you’ll find that the pressure to change yourself will affect you in many ways, all of them negative.
• Learn to communicate effectively—you can only do so much about hiding your feelings and thoughts. Being able to communicate well is a vital component of social wellness because this is generally how you initiate relationships in the first place.
Make it a practice to constantly work on your social connections and soon you will have an abundance of what we call “social wellness.”
DaShana L. Hall, LMSW
OakBend Medical Center Social Worker/Case Manager
References
The Regents of the University of California, Davis campus: Student Health and Counseling Services; Social Wellness 2016
The Regents of the University of California, Davis campus; Mind Body Wellness Challenge
Last update: March 11, 2013
OakBend Medical Center Social Worker/Case Manager
DaShana L. Hall, LMSW
Disclaimer: The contents of this article, including text and images, are for informational purposes only and do not constitute a medical service. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health professional for medical advice, diagnosis, and treatment.
