Social Realm

Hi there! The social realm is just as important to our well-being as the other realms. (why would we think otherwise?)

Social Realm provides wellness through

• Increasing dopamine levels and helps us feel happy
• Helps us to be more resilient in stressful situations
• Provides a boost of support/encouragement that can help us follow through with our goals and difficult tasks
• Gives us a sense of belonging
• Helps us form relationships

What does it mean to be social?

Social wellness refers to the interactions we have with other people that require:

• Successful relationships
• Communication skills
• Creating positive networks
• Responsibility
• Respect

Successful Relationships

Successful interactions help us to form friendships and relationships within our community. Interactions can include exercising with a group at the gym, getting together with friends for a game night, walking around the neighborhood with your neighbors, or going shopping with friends or family, to name a few.  All of these activities can lead to building new or deepening old relationships with others.

Communication Skills

Communication is the ability to give and receive information in an effective way.

Good communication skills allow us to create

• • Relationships
  • Develop intimacy with others
  • Form a support network of friends and family members.

Communication is complex because it can be affected by many factors such as

• • Emotions
  • Context
  • The medium used to communicate
  • Culture
  • Our location.

How many of you have ever yelled at someone because you were mad or hurt or needed help? As you know, yelling because you are mad is different than yelling for help. One speaks differently when he is mad compared to being happy. Communication includes speaking appropriately to and with others (taking turns in a conversation, monitoring your voice to the occasion), and listening to others (listening for understanding, allowing others to finish their thoughts without interrupting).

Communication also involves

• Reading
• Writing
• Pictures
• Symbols
• Sign language
• Body language
• Facial or hand gestures
• Posture

Culture and location also play a role when communicating with others. Cultures have different roles when communicating, for instance, some cultures require young people to look down instead of looking an elder in the face while being spoken to. Other cultures do not allow men to speak with or be involved in business with women.

An example of this happened to me when I was getting bids for my basement to be remodeled. The male I was talking to was from a different country and asked if he would be speaking with my husband. When I told him I was not married, he quickly ended the conversation and did not call me back.

Location within an area is also a factor.  People have different accents and sayings in different locations of the world and even within a country and sometimes cause barriers in communication.

It is important to understand and respect other cultures from around the world and how they communicate with others.

Positive Networks

Having people in your life you can talk to, spend time with and help you get through difficult times helps you to be happier both mentally and physically. You can build a social support network by making specific and realistic goals to meet others such as inviting a person you work with to lunch or talking to one new person each day. Perhaps a new friend can introduce you to his/her friends to help you build a network of friends.

Building positive social support networks helps to:

• • build trust in others
  • form friendships/relationships
  • bring intimacy in relationships
  • create positive feelings
  • build confidence

Responsibility

Our personal roles are the jobs/duties we have throughout life. We have many roles as we live, such as child, adult, spouse, provider, parent, aunt/uncle, caregiver, grandparent, etc.  We have a responsibility to live up to the expectations and demands of these roles.  Having successful relationships, communication skills and positive social networks will help us live up to the responsibilities of our personal roles.

Respect

Respecting ourselves and others helps us to form bonds and gives us the ability to contribute to our community in a beneficial way. Contributing to your community builds a sense of belonging, building respect for others and receiving respect in return. Showing respect in all situations contributes to positive outcomes.

A great way to show respect to ourselves is to say and think positive things about ourselves. Positivity about ourselves helps us form confidence and higher self-esteem which leads us to form better relationships with others.

Tips to becoming more positive:

• • Participate in positive self-talk:
    • Look in the mirror for 2-5 minutes each morning and compliment yourself
    • Positively anticipate the day
  • Show gratitude for anything you are grateful for
  • Be thankful for what you have and the special people in your life
  • Find the good in a possible negative situation

Suggestions for optimal social wellness within the realm:

• Nurture positive and healthy relationships
• Get involved and participate or volunteer in your community
• Contribute to your community by sharing your talents and skills
• Communicate your ideas in a positive way

In conclusion, it is important to be aware of our social needs around others. Humans need to have a sense of belonging and a support system to feel important and needed. Social relationships help us to feel happy about the world we live in. Positive social interactions help to increase self-worth, self-esteem, and confidence thus increasing our abilities to succeed in difficult tasks, occupations, and relationships.