Hanging With Da Homies

Hey y'all!! Today we're gonna look into the importance of social health, and what we can do to make sure we're socially healthy. Social health is one of those topics in the world of health and wellness that is often overlooked. Which is kind of a shame, because social health has such a huge impact on our overall long term health.

Since we're all about the holistic approach to health and wellness here, I thought it would be a great topic to shine some light on. Like pretty much everything else in life becoming, socially healthy will take time and effort.

For some of us it will take more time and effort. For others it may take a lot less, because they're already there basically.

I like to think about social health the way I would about physical fitness. We have this large spectrum, from Olympic athletes to the people who don't exercise at all, and everything in between. We don't need to be world class athletes when it comes to social health, but we certainly don't want to be the person who doesn't exercise at all. We all know how important exercise and nutrition is, but let's get into why social health is important to our overall health and wellness.

Well, first off I should kinda explain what Social health is. Basically social health stems from interactions with other people; meaning human connection, relationships, and the communities we're involved in. Anything we do with other people, or don't do is a chance to improve, or harm our social health. Having high quality social interactions which are engaging, fulfilling, and make you feel seen will improve our social health. On the other hand, having low quality social interactions which are stressful, draining, toxic, or leave you feeling unheard will damage our social health. Spending too much time in isolation is very damaging for our social health as well.

I remember reading this study on people with depression, and the social interactions they were having. What I found very interesting was the fact the quantity of social interactions was very normal. However, they reported the quality of the social interactions was very low. What I got out of that was it's not just about being around people. It's about having these high quality experiences with others that truly makes a difference. I think that's why so many people out there end up depressed, and in isolation. Because what's the point of being around people, if it just ends up feeling empty. Of course there are many other reasons why people are depressed and isolated. I guess I'm just trying to stress why the quality of social interactions we have is important.

That's one of the things that can be challenging when it comes to social health. Where can we find the right people, or the right community for us, where we feel like we are getting these high quality social interactions.

When we're looking for these high quality social interactions and dodging the low quality interactions; it's important to remember that we are doing our part in the interaction too. Don't expect to get sustainable high quality social interactions, if you aren't willing to put in a bit of effort to make sure the other people are too. We can do our part by engaging in active listening, being genuine, reciprocating, and creating a feeling of belonging.

Some of y'all out there may already be doing a lot of these things; having these high quality social interactions, being part of a community where you belong, and that's awesome. You're on the right track for being socially healthy! Others out there might be struggling to find high quality social interaction, or a community where they belong. As someone who has quite a bit of social anxiety, I totally understand its not as easy as just throwing yourself out there, and waiting for the good things to come. All I can say is start small, but start. Be kind and forgiving to yourself and others on your health and wellness journey, and things will fall into place. Okay for real this time lol, now that we have a rough idea of what social health is, let's get into the importance of it.

I think the best way to show the importance of social health, is by sharing some of the key benefits. Firstly it helps improve our mental health. I'm talking reduced risk of depression, lower anxiety, and better stress mitigation; all things we want right.

We can also see an boost in our immune system, and improved cardiovascular health(lower blood pressure, etc). There's also a strong link between social health and longevity; meaning we can have longer happier lives. Working on our social health also means we're improving our mental resilience, and our emotional intelligence. We can also find deeper purpose in life, and this often comes with a greater sense of self worth. Those last two things alone are just so powerful to me. Lastly good social health has a connection with improved cognitive function, this is seems to be even more so as we age. As you can see there are some serious benefits to working on our social health, and that's why I think it's so important.

Social health is a key part of the holistic approach to health and wellness. Social health isn't something we can ignore without sacrifice. So, please make sure you get the high quality social interaction you need for your health.

Congrats y'all!! You made it through another article, and are that much better for doing so! As always my goal is to empower you with the skills and knowledge to succeed. Hopefully you got something useful out of this article, and if not R.I.P homie. I truly believe in the power of a strong community, and what people can do for each other.

I said it on the home page, and I'll say it here. I truly want to create a community of like minded people that can thrive together. I'll leave y'all with a challenge today. Reach out to one person today and have a high quality social interaction with them. If you don't have anyone to reach out to, then reach out to me. My email is all over the website for you to get in touch.

Until next time y'all, Peace!!