Here’s a fun fact for you: “Human beings are social creatures.” That’s right! We need to connect with others to fulfill whatever purpose we have. And by connecting, we mean positively. If that caught your curiosity, then let’s talk some more! Shall we?
WHAT IS SOCIAL WELLNESS?
Social wellness pertains to our beneficial relationship with ourselves and others. Its condition can be considered healthy when our interactions go conflict-free. Aside from that, it also covers the way we adapt to any social situation that makes its broad areas touch the other health aspects.
HOW DO WE ASSESS SOCIAL WELLNESS?
Social wellness has certain criteria that need to be met. Though it is true that the number of friends, family members, and work or school colleagues have an impact in determining social health, it’s the qualities of these relationships that matters most.
Here are some questions that you can consider asking yourself to find out whether or not you are socially healthy:
Do you have a balanced time?
Balancing our time plays an important role in maintaining our social health. We have to make sure that we allow enough time to interact with our social circles as well as with ourselves. One thing that we have to keep in mind is that we don’t necessarily have to go through all our connections. Let’s pay more attention to the ones that lay out positive vibes.
How often do you engage in social activities?
Social activities can either be competitive, soul-stirring, fun, or all of the above. Nonetheless, they are good ways to connect with other people. By engaging in these activities, we allow ourselves to discover more about society and ourselves.
How well do you communicate with your social circles?
Positive communication is one of the keys to a healthy social life. According to Greater Good Magazine, it can help us secure our goals and strengthen our relationships. The takeaways in this factor take form in greeting, asking, complimenting, sharing, and encouraging. By carrying out these elements enthusiastically, we influence all of our relationships favorably, most specially to ourselves.
HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR SOCIAL WELLNESS?
Improving our social health is easier said than done. The good news is that we have all the time of our lives to work on it. So, let’s dive into the things that we can do to make our social wellness better.
Establish a Support System
Problems are not all bad. They help us identify issues and rooms for improvement. They only become dangerous when we keep them all by ourselves. This is why it is important that we build a support system to ventilate the negativities that these problems bring. Our support system can be our friends, family members, and social counselors.
Practice Self-Care
Self-care is far from being selfish or vain. It’s a way to build confidence that lets us socialize more easily. It brings out the best in ourselves in everything we do wherever we are or whoever we are with. Good self-care practices include keeping good hygiene, finding time to relax, eating good food, staying hydrated, and many more.
Create Meaningful Relationships
Steven Mintz, also known as the Ethics Sage, quoted in one of his articles that meaningful relationships can help us achieve self-esteem and happiness. Not only that, he stated that it could also satisfy our growth and development. To have meaningful relationships, we have to show respect and care towards other parties as much as we do to ourselves.
Develop Good Communication Skills
Good communication is an important ability that we all have to learn in order to have better social health. It helps us deliver and receive information more effectively with emotions and intentions considered. There are a lot of ways to improve communication, but the two most important are listening and empathizing.
Given that we are social in nature, it is essential for us to know the very basics of social wellness. Most of us have encountered challenges regarding it, and the ideal thing to do is simply learn how to respond accordingly. Therefore, let us take the time and effort to grow ourselves and all the relationships that’s worthy.
