Has this ever happened to you? You’re living life, hopping from work to friends, to family. Enjoying new experiences, meeting new people and traveling to new places when all of a sudden… your social battery drains.
You love the changing pace of life and the connections you make along the way, but you also know that it can easily (and often quickly) take its toll on your well-being.
If you’ve felt like this in the past, you’ll enjoy knowing that July is Social Wellness Month! This initiative discusses the benefits of social wellness and is designed to help you establish and promote healthy and supportive relationships in your life so you have a nurturing support system when life leaves you drained.
According to the University of Minnesota, social wellness is about “giving and receiving social support, ensuring that you have friends and other people, including family, to turn to in times of need or crisis to give you a broader focus and positive self-image.”
While practicing social wellness may sound like an intimidating experience, there are actually a few simple ways you can promote your social wellness so you can take care of not only your physical needs but your social needs as well.
Understanding how to recharge your social battery is important. Let’s take a look at 5 easy social wellness tips that can address those low social battery feelings and even prevent them from happening in the future.
5 Ways to Recharge Your Social Battery and Keep It Healthy
- Self Reflection
Reflecting on who you are and what you want in life is crucial in understanding your social needs. By taking an inventory of what you need socially, you can better determine your limits and navigate social situations so you can confidently enjoy your time without feeling obligated or burnt out.
- Build a Support System
Make an effort to keep in touch with supportive friends, family and mentors. Even if it’s just one person, having a support system is incredibly important. When you surround yourself with friends and family that understand your needs, they can help you better advocate for the social wellness you deserve.
- Participate in Active Listening
Whether at work, school, in your family or in the community, having regular group discussions is critical to developing and maintaining your social wellness. Taking these moments as opportunities to practice active listening can be a wonderful power to help you communicate your needs and better understand the needs of your peers. Active listening also helps create an open and honest platform to discuss what’s going on in your life–sometimes the hardest part is just talking about what’s draining us.
- Join a Club or Organization
If you’re more inclined to keep to yourself, you might think that joining a club and meeting new people sounds draining enough. But the beauty of joining a club or organization is that more often than not, you’ll find like-minded people who share your interests. This can be a great way to refuel your social battery and can even incite passion for new hobbies, cultures, etc.
- Volunteer in the Community
Giving back to the community is a powerful way to recharge your battery while helping those around you. Some easy volunteer ideas could be cleaning up litter in your local park, helping a neighbor with yard work, or even spending a few hours at a food pantry or other community service location.
Benefits of Social Wellness
The benefits of social wellness speak for themselves. Studies have shown that social support enhances your quality of life and provides a buffer against adverse life events. According to the University of Nebraska Omaha, practicing social wellness can help increase your self-esteem because it “allows you to develop assertive skills and become comfortable with who you are in social situations.”
Clarity’s Social Commitment
At Clarity, we’re committed to championing wellness in all aspects of life that go beyond our benefits offerings. Our culture of health means that we believe social wellness is just as important as physical and emotional wellness.
Consider sharing these social wellness tips with your employees. They may not be able to have a fully charged battery 100% of the time, but by incorporating just a few of these easy social wellness practices, they can explore more of life’s delights while supporting their social health. Not to mention, the added mental health benefits of knowing their employer cares for their social well-being and work-life balance are great incentives to attract and retain top talent!
Sources:
https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/july-social-wellness-month
