What is social wellness? Social wellness refers to the way you interact with others — whether your close friends and family or the coworkers you see on a regular basis. Ideally, you want to be able to live and work in harmony with the people around you. But everyone has different perspectives, moods, and goals, which can make it difficult to understand or work with each other.
It can be especially difficult to navigate social relationships when you are already struggling with your own mental health. But social wellness is key to your overall wellness, which is what we strive towards at Rivia Mind. Here are a few ways that you can improve your social wellness.
Take Care Of Yourself
It can be easy, in an effort to engage in social interactions, to put your needs last. You want to seem easygoing and fun, and you may struggle to tell your friends no when they ask something beyond your bandwidth. But if you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t have any energy left to support your friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers.
Set boundaries for yourself. If you need a certain amount of sleep, that might mean you can’t be the friend who goes out on a late night with your other friends. If you are recovering from addiction, you may need to avoid settings with alcohol or the substance that was an issue for you. If social interactions overwhelm you, make sure you have a little bit of alone time to recharge. When you practice self-care, you’ll have more energy to commit to those social aspects.
Form Connections
We are a social people. Even if you prefer to have your alone time, few people want to be fully isolated. That is why it’s important to form connections. Sometimes that means going out to meet new people. Find groups based on your interests, or start your own if you can’t find anything already.
Other times, this may mean forming deeper connections with the people already in your life. Instead of making vague eventual coffee dates with your friends, ask them what they’re doing on a specific date. Start a family game night, whether with nuclear family or found family. These connections will help to sustain you emotionally and strengthen your relationships.
Nurture Healthy Friendships
In Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), there is a skill called “burning bridges and building new ones.” This can refer to burning bridges of activities or behaviors, but it can also refer to relationships. If one of your relationships is constantly detrimental to your mental health and, even after making an effort to repair the relationship, this doesn’t change, it might be a good idea to “burn” that bridge. If you cannot cut that person out completely, try to limit your interactions with that person.
Instead, nurture those relationships with people who have a positive impact on your mental health. This does not mean your friends should have the responsibility of taking care of your mental health, as that is your responsibility first and foremost. But relationships who support you, who hold you accountable, and who respect the boundaries you set for yourself will do wonders for your social wellness.
Pick Up a Hobby
One way that people can quickly become burned out with their work is by making that the only thing they have in their lives. Even if you have a job you love, what do you do when you go home? Do you make dinner and watch a TV show or two before going to bed? Or do you maybe pick up a puzzle, a creative project, or another hobby to take your mind off work?
Hobbies give your life more variety. Everything stops becoming a cycle of work and then sleep. You have something to enjoy and to take your mind off work. You can also find other people who engage with the same hobbies, thus giving you more social interactions.
Let Go of Judgment
It’s important to communicate clearly with your friends and family, inform them of your boundaries, and bring something up if they are making you uncomfortable. It is equally important to bring this up without judgment or criticism. Use “I statements,” telling them the facts and how you feel about the situation, then focus on finding a solution. It may feel good to place blame and “put them in their place,” but it does nothing productive for your conflict resolution. In fact, it’s more likely to drive a wedge between you.
Likewise, try to let go of judging yourself too harshly. Being hyper self-critical can lead to a low self-esteem and may make it difficult for you to accept that people you love and respect feel the same way about you. When you stop judging yourself and others, you can focus on resolution with a clearer head, while maintaining the relationship.
Become a Regular
Want to form new relationships but don’t know where to start? It can help to become a regular somewhere. Find a coffee shop you like and make a point to go there once or twice a week. Take your dog to the same dog park. If you’re religious, find a place of worship that you can attend. This doesn’t mean you can’t try new places, but it will only help you to have a few standard stomping grounds.
How does this boost your social wellness? Because in becoming a regular, you may find other regulars. For instance, there might be that golden retriever at the dog park that gets along great with your lab and you might be able to set up playdates with the owner. You may find a German language club that meets at your coffee shop and ask to join. These “regular” places become part of your community, and thus boost your social wellness.
Social wellness is an important part of your overall wellness, which is what we’re all about at Rivia Mind. For professional support to help you manage your mental health and social wellness, contact us today and book an appointment with one of our providers.
