Social Well-being
Maintaining a healthy level of social well-being benefits your overall health and relationships around you. Social well-being is the sharing, developing and sustaining meaningful connections with others. Benefits of social well-being can include being comfortable where you are in social situations, increased self-esteem, the ability to create healthy boundaries and helping build emotional resilience.
Without awareness of your social well-being, you risk becoming socially isolated. Social isolation is the withdrawal from human relationships and can lead to feelings of fear and loneliness.
Loneliness can negatively affect your health, including behaviors, mental health, physical health and mortality risk. A sense of belonging is crucial to the way humans function and correlates with feelings of loneliness if someone doesn’t feel they belong.
Building the foundation for healthy social well-being can be difficult, especially when it’s not something you’re used to.
Tips for Managing Social Well-being
Here are some best practices to maintain social well-being.
Make connections. You can make connections at any phase of life. Whether you just started a new job, moved to a new state or switched communities, you can work through creating new relationships. A large part of making new connections is getting involved in any social events in your communities, whether at work or in your personal life.
Get involved. Find new events or groups to be a part of in your community, whether through a volunteer opportunity at work or a local event. If you’re unsure how to get involved, think of your hobbies. Research events related to your hobbies in the area or try learning something new. If your neighborhood has events, get involved. Helping others can reduce loneliness, so finding volunteer opportunities can also benefit our social well-being as we make new connections.
Bond with your loved ones. Strong relationships are essential no matter your phase of life. Before building new connections, you are protecting and caring for your current contacts is necessary. Spend time with your loved ones without distractions. Unplug and stay engaged.
Invest in yourself. Taking care of yourself before anyone else is crucial when discussing social well-being. If you’re at your best, you can be at your best for your friends, colleagues and loved ones alike. You are caring for others’ needs before yours consistently can lead to increased stress. Be sure to balance your time wisely.
Conclusion
It’s become more accessible than ever to connect, but it’s also easier to isolate. Socially connecting in person with loved ones and properly caring for your own needs can help you care for your social well-being. For more information on social well-being, contact us today.
This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. For further information, please consult a medical professional. © 2022 Zywave, Inc. All rights reserved.