Keeping Up With The Wellness Dimensions: Social Wellness
As Liz mentioned in last month’s blog post on the six dimensions of wellness, “Wellness is not just about the physical or emotional aspect of one’s life. In order to remain actively engaged to the mind, body and spirit, and to say you are reducing the risk of disease, you must incorporate all of the dimensions of wellness into your life.”
Social wellness is important and vital for our overall well – being. Social wellness involves relationships and social interaction with other individuals. It is important to practice and participate in social wellness through all stages of life in order to develop and maintain healthy relationships and friendships. Individuals who are socially healthy have the means and skills to be social in various settings and have the confidence to be social in any situation that involves people. Today, social wellness can be more and more difficult to achieve due to technology and social media. However, it is vital we give social wellness positive attention. Studies have proven that social relationships have just as much impact on physical well – being as other wellness factors, such as, physical activity, overweight / obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, heart disease and smoking.
Social wellness can be achieved by:
– Playing cards, darts, Wii bowling with one person or a group of people
– Attending exercise classes regularly
– Volunteering
– Attending church every week
– Shopping with a friend
– Taking a walk
– Joining a club, such as an adult coloring club or gardening club
– Writing a letter to a family member or friend
– Meeting someone for coffee or ice cream
As a gardener myself, I love this description of social wellness:
“Cultivating social wellness is like keeping a flower garden—it takes intention, energy, time, care and effort—and is an ongoing process that requires attention throughout our entire life. It is important to choose a proper plot, carefully prepare the soil, plant the best seeds, and be sure to provide plenty of water and nutrients. In gardening, as in relationships, providing protection from bad weather and regularly weeding out negativity helps to ensure continued growth and beautiful blossoms for a lifetime!” – Optimum Performance Institute
Contributed By: Andrea Doster (Wellness Assistant)