Social self-care is a requirement for a happy balanced life! Full Stop. End of Story.
I know the pandemic made connecting with people extremely difficult if not impossible. However, things are opening up and even during, maybe especially during a pandemic, wellness benefits of self care are even more important!
Having a regular connection with others should be a major part of your self care plan. Humans are social beings, and even extremely introverted people need to bond with others every now and then. Having a proper balance of alone time and socialization is vital.
If you fall into the introvert category you may look at socializing as a source of extreme anxiety, but this is usually not the case. It is mostly about finding the right people to spend quality time with and build relationships. Avoid any negative self talk, set boundaries and focus on finding support that works for you.
If you are more of an extrovert then you just need some help with the details of making it happen.
Social self-care is a requirement for physical and mental health:
- It is key to sustainable happiness and well-being.
- It improves mental health and emotional health.
- It keeps you active thereby improving physical health.
- It manages symptoms from depression and anxiety.
While these benefits alone should motivate you, it can still be easy to put your friends, loved ones, or others on the back burner as you deal with life.
However, there are many different things you can start doing now to meet new people and add more socialization to your daily, weekly, or monthly routine. The first step is a plan!
Develop a self care plan to implement self care strategies.
We all lead busy lives. Without a plan it is a lot less likely you are going to get a self care routine into your daily life. You need to actively schedule time in your everyday life to connect with others.
Building healthy social connections is necessary to your overall well being.
Putting social self care activities into your schedule will also help with stress management which again benefits your overall health.
So dedicate some time now to understanding your needs and taking care of your body and your feelings. Then add some social self care activities to your schedule that work for you!
Your self care plan can take many forms:
Spending time with others can be in the form of physical self care activities, emotional self care activities, mental self care activities, and even spiritual self care activities.
Join Online or Local Activity Groups
Even if you’re new to the self-care game, you can find others who are on the same page as you by looking at online and offline groups.
Even the biggest introvert needs social activity occasionally. You can find the right people if you look for them on Facebook Groups and other sites.
Find a group based on an activity you like. Physical self care can be social too.
If you are religious get involved with a group at your church. Practicing spiritual self care can also be social.
Go on Weekly or Monthly Lunch Dates
Make a point of keeping that connection with your friends or distant family members. You can preplan a weekly or monthly date with a close friend or a family member (a different one each time) and keep up with it in a non-stressful way.
The more you can feel connected to society and others, the better you’ll feel about your life and the opportunities it provides.
Get Involved in Your Local Community
Your community needs you more than ever. You can step up to serve at a soup kitchen or an animal shelter or get involved in something more attached to you, such as the parent-teacher association if you have kids in school or your church.
Whatever you do, find a way to connect to your local community in a way that you’re not doing now. Remember, you can do something just monthly, and you can say no to too much. You don’t want to take on too much that you increase your stress levels but building a deeper sense of belonging to your community is healthy.
Simply Face Time, Call, or Message a Loved One
Reach out to a friend. A family member or people you meet online and offline by setting up a time to FaceTime them or call them.
Your loved ones, especially the elderly, will really appreciate that you spend time with them. And the bonus is, it will feel good to you too.
Finding a balance is key to crafting a successful self-care plan and making it a part of your everyday life.
Remember, you don’t need to communicate every single day to see results. Instead, let your feelings guide you to find a reasonable time to spend with others.
FAQs
It involves our interactions with others especially friends and family.
It encourages us to maintain a healthy relationship with ourselves to extend it to others. It also means being mindful of how we manage our meaningful relationships while preventing social burnout.
– Scheduling a regular phone touch-base with your mom.
– Join a book club.
– Going on a date with your significant other.
– Cuddling with a furry friend.
You may ask why am I talking about social self-care in a blog post on a soap site? We create our products to help benefit you in a holistic sense. Our aromatherapy-based products help soothe your soul as well as your skin and we firmly believe that promoting self-care in the largest sense is a part of our mission.
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Wrapping it Up on How to Practice Self Care for Social
- Relationships are essential to our overall health and well being.
- Taking care of you is Not Selfish. (Read this blog post if you still need convincing.)
- Remember that there are many types of self care and social is just one.
- While connecting with others try to support your whole self by including physical self care, spiritual self care, and emotional self care.
Social self-care is incredibly important in this post-COVID world, illustrating just how vital it is to keep in touch with others. This is a great write-up that perfectly exemplifies this.
Hi Michael, So glad you enjoyed the post! Thanks for taking the time to comment.