Eight Dimensions of Wellness: Social Wellness
Networking and building a social circle are essential to thrive. But no one ever really teaches you or shows you how, challenging you to explore your social wellness.
Social Wellness focuses on connecting with your community and the people around you, which includes being aware of your own social and cultural background as a bridge to understand the diversity and depth present in other backgrounds. This dimension encourages taking an active part in connecting with others, establishing supportive social networks, developing meaningful relationships, and creating safe and inclusive spaces.
Be mindful of who you allow in your space and how you interact with them because not all company is good company!
Social wellness goes hand in hand with environmental wellness. Be mindful of who you allow in your space and how you interact with them because not all company is good company! There are levels of intimacy and inclusiveness in every relationship and not everyone is deserving or even willing to be in certain levels. You have to respect the place or level in which people place you and grow within and explore that level. Especially with social media people will think they know you and place themselves or assume they're on a certain level with you based on what you post and how they relate(d) to it or the information they gained from it. In that same breath social media can diversify your exposure to different cultures and connect you with people around the world in turn building your social network. If it wasn't for Instagram I literally wouldn't have met the people I did in San Diego within the first week that I moved. Yes I slid in someones DMs, we grabbed a drink that same day, he helped expand my social network and we have been cool ever since. While growing my social network I had to remember to not neglect myself. Social wellness also includes your relationship with yourself so creating a safe haven either for solely yourself or within your social circle that is inclusive where you can be vulnerable and authentically yourself is necessary.
My social wellness was challenged when I moved to Maryland and San Diego with having to restart and develop a new social circle. I had to filter people and place them in certain levels of my life in order to create my safe haven.
Don't be afraid to stir up the tea in your own life; explore your own social wellness by reaching out to someone new either in person or on social media. Work on creating a safe haven for both yourself and within your social circle. Be mindful of the relationships you have with people and the levels of those relationships.
