Social Wellness
You Are Not Alone
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Even though we have divided wellness into 8 dimensions, they are intertwined. Without environmental
wellness, we most likely don’t have physical or emotional wellness. Without financial wellness,
environmental wellness may be compromised. And without emotional wellness we most likely are not
so much engaged in the other dimensions. Although social wellness seems to come last in our wellness
map, it could be the most important. Without it, we are isolated.
Social wellness transcends mere interactions with other people. It encompasses…
- Developing a sense of connection
- Supportive relationships
- Respect for ourselves
- Caring about others
- Allowing others to care about/for us
- Contributing our time, talent and/or financial support to the greater community
We Are All Connected
The pandemic created isolation for millions of people. To introverts, staying in their homes was business as usual – and they didn’t have to use an excuse not to join others for dinners or parties. For seniors living alone, it was nothing new. But for many people, it was a confusing, lonely time.
Fortunately we are in the age of technology, so we can connect to others online. We did Zoom meetings, Zoom exercise, Zoom classes, Zoom education, watched impromptu Zoom entertainment. In 2019 Zoom boasted it had 10 million participants. By mid 2020, the participation grew to 300 million. It was a boon for the company, but also pointed out how much we crave being together. Many people are still working remotely, but the roads are again full of traffic with lots of others driving to their
destinations.
Relationships With Others
Obviously we have an innate need to connect. But some of us are so in need of connection, we often make choices that don’t serve us. Or we put up with a relationship that doesn’t make us feel good, but stay, because ‘at least it’s a relationship!’ This is not only prevalent in love relationships but in casual friendships. Setting boundaries may be a scary proposition but it’s always better than blowing up at someone because they did or didn’t do something you wanted but never told them.
Respect For Ourselves
Many times the reason our friends, family, co-workers and others don’t treat us in a way that makes us feel good about ourselves, about them and about the world boils down to one thing. We don’t ask! Usually if we are brave enough to tell the truth to someone, the situation gets better. And mostly that’s because the other person wasn’t even aware their behavior made you feel bad. They were just being themselves, so since nobody pointed out their behavior they kept doing what they always did.
My family doesn’t respect my wishes – Let them know that’s how you feel
My boss won’t give me the raise I deserve – Tell him/her you would like one
My friend is always late – Let her/him know that the next time you won’t wait
My doctor never answers my messages – Find a doctor who will
You know how you feel when you don’t speak up. It’s time to live your truth. Start asking for the respect you want, need and deserve.
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Caring About others
Part of social wellness is getting involved in the world outside the home, community, or even country. If you want to feel better about yourself and your life in general, do something for somebody else. You can volunteer at a shelter or thrift store, send a donation to a local charity or cause you believe in, read to kids at the library, volunteer at your spiritual community. Once we make a decision to care about the world outside of us, opportunities pop up out of the blue. And getting involved in a world outside our little circle of life is another step towards social wellness.
Allowing Others to Care About You
You are just as important as anyone else in your life. You deserve to be taken care of, nurtured and treated with great respect. Maybe begin to say “Yes” to people who offer to help you. Giving makes us al feel so much better about ourselves. When you continually say ‘no’ to someone’s offer, you are keeping them from being able to feel better about themselves. Don’t block anyone else’s good by saying, “No thanks, I can do it myself.”
SOCIAL WELLNESS QUESTIONS