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What is Social Wellbeing ?

Social wellbeing refers to the ability to form and maintain meaningful relationships and a sense of belonging to a community. Humans are social creatures, and social connections are essential for our emotional, mental, and physical health. This article will focus on the importance of social connections and belonging and discuss ten personal benefits of social wellbeing.

Social connections are critical for our wellbeing. Studies show that social isolation can lead to poor mental and physical health outcomes, including depression, anxiety, and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. On the other hand, people with strong social connections report better mental health, greater life satisfaction, and increased longevity.

Belonging is also an important aspect of social wellbeing. Feeling like you belong to a community or group can provide a sense of identity and purpose, leading to improved emotional and mental wellbeing.

 

Here are ten personal benefits of social wellbeing:

  1. Improved mental health: People with strong social connections are less likely to experience symptoms of depression and anxiety.
  2. Increased life satisfaction: Strong social connections can lead to increased life satisfaction and overall happiness.
  3. Better physical health: Social connections can lead to better physical health outcomes, such as improved cardiovascular health and a stronger immune system.
  4. Increased resilience: Social connections can help people cope with stressful life events and improve their resilience.
  5. Increased empathy: People with strong social connections are more likely to be empathetic and understanding of others.
  6. Increased self-esteem: Social connections can provide validation and support, leading to increased self-esteem and self-worth.
  7. Increased sense of purpose: Feeling like you belong to a community can provide a sense of purpose and direction in life.
  8. Improved communication skills: Social connections can improve communication skills and help people build stronger relationships.
  9. Increased creativity: Social connections can inspire creativity and encourage people to pursue their passions.
  10. Increased sense of belonging: Feeling like you belong to a community can lead to a sense of belonging and connectedness that can provide comfort and support.

 

In conclusion, social wellbeing is critical for our emotional, mental, and physical health. Social connections and a sense of belonging can provide numerous personal benefits, including improved mental and physical health, increased life satisfaction, and increased resilience. Building and maintaining strong social connections can be challenging, but it is worth the effort to improve our overall wellbeing.

Wellbeing PERMA

The PERMA acronym is a model of Wellbeing theory in the field of positive psychology, by Martin Seligman. PERMA makes up five important building blocks of wellbeing and happiness:

Positive Emotion : feeling good. Including hope, interest, joy, love, compassion, pride, amusement, and gratitude. From exercise, meeting friends, being out in nature, seeing sights, sounds, smells, tastes…

Engagement : being completely absorbed in activities. Living in the present moment and focusing entirely on the task at hand.

Relationships : being authentically connected to others. Feeling supported, loved, and/or valued by others

Meaning : purposeful existence. Belonging and/or serving something greater than ourselves

Accomplishment : a sense of accomplishment and success. Achievement, mastery, competence, attaining goals…

Wellbeing Service

Services relating to the people & groups served

Experience Type

This is a categorisation of the wellbeing experience activity that, in some way, improves your overall Wellbeing

Entertainment : passive watching where you appreciate the activity or performance

Aesthetic : passively engrossed in the beauty or artistic qualities of an object, and not it’s functionality

Sensory : where the activity engages & focuses on one or two of your 5 senses; touch, sight, hearing, smell and taste

Learning : you actively absorb the experience. The activity enhances your knowledge or a skill

Participation : active participation in the activity, where your actions have an effect on the outcome

Volunteer : freely giving your time or knowledge to help others

Embodiment : putting an idea, thought or concept into a physical form or action

Transformation : an activity that takes you from one state (of body, mind or spirit) to a new desired state

Physical , Occupational , Financial , Spiritual
Intellectual , Environmental , Emotional , Social

Wellbeing Dimension

These 8 Wellbeing Dimensions are commonly used in Wellbeing frameworks, to highlight and seperate the various aspects of our lives.

We use these 8 dimensions to categorise listings for better findability, using the filter options.