Social wellness refers to our relationships with others and ourselves. Being socially well means you cultivate and maintain healthy, nurturing relationships and that you take good care of yourself. Over the past couple of years, it has been extremely difficult to cultivate new relationships, strengthen existing ones, and prioritize our self-care. In response to our lack of social wellness, our nation’s mental health and wellbeing has suffered.
The Health Behind Social Wellness
As many of us have realized, being in relationship with others can help us be happier, healthier people. This is even backed up by science, as multiple studies have shown that the health risks of isolation are comparable with smoking, high blood pressure, and obesity. In addition:
People who have positive relationships respond better to stress and are more resilient.
A strong social network is associated with a healthier endocrine system and healthier cardiovascular functioning.
A healthy social life can enhance the immune system’s ability to fight off infectious diseases.
Ways to Improve Your Social Wellness
Thankfully, improving your social wellness isn't difficult and can even be fun! Here are 6 things you can do to improve your social wellness:
Make connections.
Take care of yourself while you're taking care of others.
Get active by joining some group fitness classes.
Bond with your children.
Build healthy relationships.
Shape your family's health habits.
For more information about each of the 6 ways to improve your social wellness, please visit the National Institutes of Health website.
Self-Care is a Form of Social Wellness
Social wellness doesn't just refer to our relationships with others, it also refers to our relationship with ourselves. Since the relationship you have the longest is the one with yourself, it's important to strive to make it a healthy one! Regularly practicing self-care and love are the best ways to improve your relationship with yourself however, self-care can sadly go overlooked in our overstretched lives or is greatly misunderstood (it's not all about bubble baths and candles!). To get a better idea of where you currently stand with your personal relationship, take this quick quiz through Love is Respect and then start finding ways to improve your score!
Final Thoughts
During this month of July, St. Andrew's Family Fitness Plus wants to remind everyone that prioritizing your social wellness is a vital piece of your overall health and that exercise is a great way to work on your social wellness! Through exercise you can meet like-minded individuals and bond over shared goals. We know that it can be difficult to get started with an exercise and wellness plan. That’s why we also offer individualized Starting Point Sessions to set you up for success, and over 450+ group fitness options to choose from; ensuring that you have multiple ways to start cultivating relationships with others and yourself! Get started today by filling out this quick questionnaire.