What is an activity for social well-being?
As you age, building relationships with others can become more complicated than when you were young. Is it the cynicism of a disgruntled older you that prevents social growth? Or is it because you don’t have the time and energy to nurture your adult social well-being? Most importantly, is there one thing that can help you retain social well-being? The answer is complex. Unfortunately, there’s no one solution for everyone. However, there are strategies and social wellness activities that can improve your social well-being.
What are some signs of social well-being?
According to the National Institutes of Health, positive social habits can help you build support systems and stay healthier mentally and physically. These support systems ensure that when the going gets tough, you have people to reach out to for advice, comfort and assistance. Life can be tough. Sometimes doing everything on your own can be exhausting and demoralizing.
How do you know if you need to strengthen your support systems? According to healthdirect, good mental health includes the ability to manage day-to-day stresses, work productively, feel content with life, cope with challenges using inner drive and have a general sense of meaning. Having good social health will help ensure you have support systems in place in case any of these attributes begin to wane.
How to improve social well-being?
Improving social well-being isn’t easy, especially for introverts. One way to improve your social well-being is to get involved in your community. Boston University defines “community” as the people around you. This includes your peers, mentors, faculty, family and work colleagues. To feel like you belong in your community, you need to communicate, handle conflicts, set boundaries and have respect for others.
There are plenty of social wellness activities out there to help improve our overall health. Here are a few to think about as you consider your own adult social well-being:
Develop or improve existing connections with others.
- Reach out to friends, colleagues and family more frequently. Even if the goal is to simply chat about the day’s activities, these quick discussions often lead to more meaningful relationships.
Get active.
- Physical activity often plays a part in how motivated you are to engage in activities.
Take care of others.
- As you embark on a mission to improve your own social well-being, it is important that you do the same for others. A time will come when a friend, family member or work colleague will need your help. Being available to help others provides you with a sense of purpose. It also shows others that you are more likely to be there when they need you!
Build healthy relationships.
- Not all relationships are healthy. As with habits, there are good and bad relationships. Find those relationships that mean the most to you and work on them.
What is an activity for social well-being?
You may be looking at this list and thinking, “Great, but where do I start?” A quick and easy thing to do is to give a friend or family member a call. Social activities don’t need to be grand or expensive and can consist of only a conversation. This opens the door for other plans and activities. These will, in turn, contribute to positive social well-being.
Group-focused activities and hobbies are also a great way to get started. A local club organization of an interest (hiking, board games, sports, knitting, etc.) usually welcome members with open arms. This is a perfect way to build new relationships.
Volunteering at local public facilities can also be fulfilling. Most libraries, places of worship and community centers have many opportunities for community engagement. If you don’t usually act right away, you can use the event schedules to plan your public appearances.
RECAP: As you can see, there’s not one specific solution to improving social well-being — there are many! Your mental health is important. Building and maintaining relationships with your family, friends and community provides vital, long-lasting social support. Allina Health is dedicated to helping you face these challenges head-on. You can access a wealth of tools and information by reaching out today.