How to Foster Your Social Wellness This Year

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Your social life means more than just going out and having fun on the weekends. Close bonds with family and friends are key to maintaining your mental health. 

Having good social wellness can help you further your career, develop lifelong friendships and have a sense of fulfillment. Here are ways to foster your social wellness and prioritize your relationships this year. 

What Is Social Wellness? 

Social wellness is how you interact with others and build relationships with them. Humans need healthy, supportive and genuine connections to feel fulfilled daily. There are many ways to develop and maintain positive relationships, but not many people understand why they’re so pivotal.

While some people are naturally introverted, it has been found that when someone is lonely and isolated for much of their lives, it harms their mental and physical health. Isolation and loneliness are contributing factors to illnesses such as heart disease, high blood pressure, early death, and dementia.

If you are socially well, you should be able to build and foster genuine and positive relationships with those around you. This allows you to relate better to others and create a solid sense of self, which promotes comfort and self-confidence in social situations. 

However, things might be affecting your social wellness that you don’t even realize. You must work to ensure you’re continuously fostering positive connections. 

How to Foster Social Wellness

Social wellness is all about connection. Foster it by focusing on relationships with others, yourself, and your surroundings.

1. Find Your Intentions

Figuring out who you are and what you need is an everlasting project. You will naturally change over time, and as you do, so will your needs. Meet yourself where you’re at by asking yourself what you need in social environments and from your interactions. Are you seeking more connections? Are you looking for love? Are you searching for friendship? 

2. Stay in Contact With Family and Friends

Even if you live alone and don’t see your family and friends often, stay in contact through phone calls or text messages. Doing this allows you to maintain your support system and keep a solid community around you. Daily challenges and life obstacles become much more difficult to deal with without connections, so having strong relationships is beneficial. 

3. Work on Your Communication Skills

Good communication skills are essential for building or maintaining new relationships. If you communicate well, others will feel comfortable talking to you and safe in your presence. Maintain eye contact when speaking, listen more than you talk, and take the time to think about your responses before you offer them. 

4. Join a Travel Group

If you want to travel more but don’t have anyone to go with, group travel is a great way to see the world and meet new people. Even if you’re an introvert, you may find that going on an adventure with a group can lead to immediate bonds and lifelong friendships. 

5. Take a Class

Learning something new is a great way to foster connection, so take a class and meet new people. This is also an excellent way to connect with like-minded individuals and build a stronger support network. 

6. Volunteer

If you love pets, volunteer at an animal shelter. If you’re passionate about helping people, sign up to assist at a homeless shelter. Volunteering in a field you enjoy will introduce you to like-minded individuals and allow you to fill your cup by helping those less fortunate. It’s a great way to foster connections. 

7. Get Out in the Community

While some people avoid community events at all costs, they’re a great way to meet people who live near you who you can call on in times of need. Suppose you’ve run out of sugar — it would be much easier to ask your neighbor for a teaspoon than go to the store. However, you might feel too awkward if you don’t know anyone in your neighborhood. 

8. Stay in Touch With Your Culture

Your culture is an undeniably important part of who you are, so even if you’re living outside of your home country, staying in touch with your roots is a great way to build relationships. You might be able to find people of the same background in your community who can offer support when you’re homesick or share the same favorite recipes as you do, which will build positive relationships.

9. Join a Club

Joining a club is an excellent way to build community by finding people who are passionate about the same things as you. You can take classes and enjoy social events, like dinners or dancing. You can even find sports clubs in your area that will allow you to exercise and become fitter while building a sense of belonging. 

10. Interact With Co-Workers

Step away from your device now and then and engage in water cooler talk. Chatting with colleagues about their day is a great way to build relationships as long as you’re not distracting anyone from their work.

11. Work on Teams

Some people are not fond of teamwork, but it’s worth trying to build positive relationships with your co-workers. When your team is successful in their project, it will foster connection. 

12. Attend Team-Building Events

This is another thing that many try to avoid, but it is a helpful way to build relationships with co-workers and maintain those you have already built. 

13. Welcome New Employees

Remember your first day at a new company? You likely felt a bit of anxiety when meeting new people and learning new processes. You can make this easier for a new hire by welcoming them into the fold. The bonus is that you will be the first relationship they build in the company. 

14. Start a Healthy Hobby

Healthy habits are a great way to keep your body and mind in top shape. They’re also an excellent way to bolster your social wellness. You could begin an exercise program or start meal planning, but if you’re more into mindfulness, try meditating for about 20 minutes daily to help you relax. 

Social Wellness as a Whole 

Social wellness is something that comes naturally to some people. They can build connections everywhere they go, while others struggle to maintain a conversation. However, focusing on positive connections is good for your body and soul. Following these steps and being consistent will make a world of difference in your life.