How Does Social Health Impact Overall Wellbeing?

Social health is an often overlooked aspect of our wellbeing. Have you ever wondered why some seasons of life are filled with connection while others are marked by isolation? The more accurate question is posed here today, how does social health impact overall wellbeing? Physical and mental health are understood and prioritized as important, yet social health is often ignored even though it is as essential for wellbeing. This includes an array of social connections, from your closest friends and family to friends and acquaintances you connect with occasionally and even those you interact with when you cross paths in shared spaces or communities.

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How Does Social Health Impact Overall Wellbeing?

How to Examine Your Social Needs

When you look at your social health, there are always areas for growth. For some, it may mean a need for more rest, such as learning to say no so that you can prioritize personal wellbeing or their closest friends. For instance, if you feel overwhelmed by social obligations, you might need to set boundaries. This could mean saying no to a weekend outing to prioritize rest and personal time.

For others, it may mean going out of your comfort zone to make new friends, join new groups, and find places where you belong. If you want to expand your social circle, consider joining a local club or group that aligns with your interests, such as a book club, hiking group, or a community volunteer organization.

For some, it may mean diving deeper into spaces of vulnerability with friends and family you already know and trust. To deepen existing relationships, you might plan a regular coffee date with a close friend where you can share more personal stories and experiences. We can all find ways to grow in our social connections to improve our social wellbeing.

Start Improving Your Social Health Today

Improving your social health looks different depending on your specific needs, your season of life, and so many additional factors. Sometimes improvement involves developing new skills, such as how to work with social anxiety, initiate conversations with someone new, and spot people who either you resonate with, or have aligned values, or similar hobbies. If social anxiety is a factor, you could start by practicing small talk with a coworker or neighbor. Simple questions like 'How was your weekend?' can be a good starting point. If you find social anxiety to prohibit you from engaging in these connections, therapy can be a great place to learn new tools to navigate it with the support you may need.

Improving social health also includes asking good questions to get deeper, being vulnerable with others, understanding what reciprocity looks like in friendships, and being intentional with your time and energy to show others you care. Additionally, it involves learning how to ask for what you need from others. These are social skills that you may not have learned in other areas of life, and just like any new skill, it takes time, practice, and guidance.

Where to Dive Deeper Into Social Health

I encourage you to take some time to reflect on your social health, and even to do what I am terming a 'friendship audit' to explore what your social circles look like, what areas you would like to expand, and what ones you may want to limit or reduce. Conducting a 'friendship audit' involves listing your current social connections and evaluating which relationships bring you joy and which ones feel draining. This can help you decide where to invest your time and energy.

If you want to learn more about this concept I recommend The Art and Science of Connection: Why Social Health Is the Missing Key to Living Longer, Healthier, and Happier by Kasley Killam. It's a balance of research-based information, practical skills to develop, and examples of people navigating this very thing. If you're interested in reading it, I suggest you buy it from your local bookstore or borrow it from the library. By nurturing your social health, you can create a more connected, fulfilling, and joyful life, that has the power to enrich your overall wellbeing in ways you never imagined. All the best as you continue on your journey of social, mental, and physical wellbeing!

Cara Tull

Registered Clinical Counsellor, MACP (she/her)

Cara Tull Counselling, Private Practice Owner and Practitioner