15 Ways to Improve Social Wellbeing

Social wellbeing—that’s what we’ll be discussing today. Obviously. So let’s get started:

Social wellbeing is one of the six Dimensions of Wellness, and it is the ability to form and maintain meaningful, healthy relationships. It includes our ability to connect with others, social skills, how and how often we interact with others, if we feel supported by the people in our lives, and whether we feel accepted or that we belong in our communities.

People were made to connect with others. It is crucial for our survival, wellbeing, and overall happiness. Social connections have proven benefits in all realms of life—mental, physical, and emotional. We all need and rely on the support of others. We were never meant to do life alone. Learning and development, physical health, and overall quality of life are enhanced when we have a supportive environment.

Unfortunately, in the United States, 1 in 3 individuals report feeling lonely, with 1 in 4 noting they lack adequate social and emotional support. Social isolation and loneliness are associated with a wide range of negative health outcomes, such as elevated blood pressure, poor mental health, and increased risk of early mortality.

While yes, being social can be hard sometimes, living in a constant state of loneliness is even harder. Connecting and relating with others is fundamental to our health and wellbeing. When we don’t hide ourselves or fear vulnerability but rather live life transparently, openly, and honestly, we connect with the people who are truly meant to be in our lives.

So with all this being said, I want to give some advice on how to improve this dimension of wellness. Listed below, I have 15 tips for enhancing your social wellbeing:

1. Spend quality time with friends and family:

The number one way we can boost our social wellbeing is by spending time being social. Checks out. This is the only way we can really strengthen emotional bonds, build trust, and create lasting memories. Further benefits of spending quality time with loved ones include boosted mental and physical health, increased self-esteem and confidence, stronger support systems, enhanced communication and social skills, greater sense of purpose and meaning, and improved stress management.

2. Recognize and address unhealthy relationships:

Social wellbeing isn’t necessarily the quantity of our relationships but the quality of them. Part of improving social wellbeing is addressing the relationships that aren’t healthy or beneficial for you and your wellbeing. I’m sure you know the ones. But it’s important to take this step to gain more mental clarity and self-respect. This will also allow for emotional growth, increased confidence, and better relationship skills.

3. Continue working on better communication, especially during conflict:

Communication can be hard, but it’s fundamental to healthy relationships. This involves being open and honest with your feelings, but also in a way that doesn’t attack or harshly criticize others. Healthy communication involves respect, active listening, paying attention to what others have to say, as well as being transparent with your own feelings. Addressing conflict constructively rather than argumentatively will foster understanding and strengthen relationships. Working on your communication benefits your relationships and social wellness because it helps avoid misunderstanding, builds trust and intimacy, encourages mutual respect, and creates better relationships. So work on your communication skills, lord knows we all need to.

4. Join a club, group, or organization:

This can be a great way to meet people with similar interests, which can often lead to new friendships and connections. It’s also a great way to improve your intellectual wellness by engaging with your interests and hobbies. Further benefits of this approach to social wellness are skill development, improved communication, personal growth, increased self-confidence, and a greater sense of belonging. All great stuff.

5. Maintain and nurture existing relationships:

Even when we feel we’re completely alone, most of us usually have at least a few people in our lives whom we can reach out to or make an effort to connect with. A good starting place to improve our social wellbeing is to start where we’re at. Work on nurturing the connections you do have and improving the quality of those relationships rather than trying to make a ton of new friends right off the bat. Focus attention on strengthening your current healthy relationships through communication, quality time, transparency, and creating memories in any way you can. This can help improve social wellness and offers other benefits such as decreased stress, a greater sense of purpose, improved confidence, increased social support, boosted happiness, and better physical and mental health. So work on your current relationships, be there for others, and put in effort.

6. Express yourself clearly and honestly:

If something’s on your mind, express it honestly and openly. Be upfront with others. Be vulnerable and real. Transparency is key in maintaining solid relationships. And when others see that we’re honest with how we feel, they are more likely to do the same. Connection is built on trust, openness, and honesty. So say what you mean, don’t feel the need to hide parts of yourself from others. We can better know who the people who are meant to be in our lives are, because they accept our transparent selves. Expressing yourself clearly and honestly also benefits us and our relationships because it enhances intimacy, helps set boundaries, facilitates personal growth, makes expectations clear, reduces conflict, and creates a sense of security.

7. Make an effort to connect with others:

It’s hard to improve your social wellbeing if you don’t even try. You have to put some effort forth to maintaining and improving your relationships. You have to want to get to know people on a deeper level, meet new people, and put in time with them. We only ever improve an area of our lives by putting in effort to do so. So if you want better relationships, work at it. Benefits of putting effort towards enhancing your relationships include increased empathy, greater sense of belonging, improved mood and happiness, increased self-esteem, and greater resilience. So, try your best to connect with those around you.

8. Get involved in your community:

Another way we can improve our social wellbeing is by getting involved with our communities through volunteering, or participating in events like farmers markets, festivals, town meetings, or other opportunities. It’s a good way to network and meet people, too. Just get out of the house, get involved, go do something. Benefits of community involvement include a stronger sense of belonging, reduced stress, increased self-esteem, and, on a larger scale, it can help foster stronger and more cohesive communities. So that’s neat.

9. Be present in your interactions and conversations:

We’re all living busy lives, and it can be easy to be distracted. Giving another person our full attention when they speak or when we spend time with them isn’t always the easiest thing to do. Especially when there’s a lot on our minds. The goal should be to do our best, though. Put down the phone, listen, engage, make eye contact, just be with whoever you’re with. I hope that makes sense. When we’re present with others, it enhances our relationships, improves emotional wellbeing, reduces stress and anxiety, improves our communication skills, and leads to greater empathy and compassion. So lock in and listen up when you’re with others.

10. Practice active listening:

The next way we can work to increase social wellbeing is by being an active listener. When people talk, listen to understand rather than to respond. When we can show others that we care what they have to say, are invested in their lives, and consider their point of view, that will likely be reciprocated. Listening when others speak shows them that what they have to say is important and helps deepen and strengthen our relationships. Further benefits of active listening include increased empathy and trust, stronger bonds, increased sense of belonging, reduced loneliness, effective conflict resolution, and greater self-awareness. While sometimes it can be hard to put all our energy and focus on what others have to say, making an effort to do so can greatly improve our relationships.

11. Be open to new relationships:

This one is hard to speak on because I’m typically not. I still struggle with the concept and pathway to making new friends. Or the idea that new people would even want to be friends with me. I’m an introvert with horrific RBF and mediocre social skills at best, which isn’t exactly helpful either. At least I’m self-aware. Anyway, when you meet new people, be open to where the relationship could lead, but not attached to any outcomes. See who you connect with, who you click with, and make the most of that. Benefits of being open to making new relationships and friends include personal growth, expanded social circles, and increased opportunities for connection and happiness. So be open, be kind, be yourself, and see where that takes you.

Life can get exceptionally monotonous. A good way to break up the stupid cycle of work, eat, shower, shit, sleep, work, eat, work, sleep, work, shit, shower, sleep, work, eat—- is to plan something each month that’s different from routine and that allows you to spend quality time with others. Things like concerts, mini weekend trips, comedy shows, or a coffee walk with friends are great examples. It keeps life fun and enjoyable. Benefits include better mental health, less stress and depression, greater sense of belonging, and increased feelings of happiness and wellbeing. With that said, plan something social this month.

13. Family dinners, board games, or other activities/events:

Depending on your current situation and preferences, time spent with family over a meal, movie, game, or other activity can be a great way to boost social wellness. I truly cherish the time when all my family is home and we can play games together. Growing up, some of my best memories are from our game nights and some of the times I’ve laughed the hardest I’ve ever laughed—have also been during game nights. I feel like they always end up going one of two ways—they’re either a blast and I’m cackling the entire time, or a fight is on the verge of breaking out and there’s passive-aggressive energy everywhere. I prefer the former. Benefits of this approach to social wellness include strengthened bonds, reduced stress, improved mental and physical health, and a greater sense of belonging. But yeah—play some games with your family, it could be fun.

14. Attend local events:

This is a great way to immerse yourself in the community you live in. It’s also a way to surround yourself with people and just an excuse to leave the house. Maybe you socialize, maybe you don’t, but I think just attending local events is a good starting place to becoming more social and getting more comfortable around others. Local events include things like Farmers’ Markets, fairs, art and wine festivals, and other similar activities. Most towns and cities have a website where they post about events going on in the area, so that’s a good resource if you’re looking for local events to attend. Benefits of attending local events include making new connections, supporting local businesses, supporting your community, and an increased sense of belonging, so you should check one out sometime if anything sounds interesting.

15. Set healthy boundaries:

Healthy boundaries are essential to healthy relationships because they keep our relationships honest and prevent us from depleting our social energy. When we’re honest and upfront about what we will and will not do, people won’t have skewed expectations of us and will not be let down when we can’t fill a role they’re needing us to. Boundaries keep us honest and respectful, and also prevent any resentment from building in our relationships. When we continuously say yes to things we don’t want to do and aren’t comfortable with, we can shut down emotionally and withdraw from those relationships. Keep an open mind but an honest heart when it comes to your boundaries. Make them solid and known to others so that they can make sure they respect them. Having and sticking to boundaries in a relationship is beneficial because it promotes healthy communication, reduces conflict, increases autonomy, reduces stress and burnout, fosters trust and respect, and strengthens our emotional connections with others.

Closing

Alright, readers. That was fifteen ways to improve social wellbeing. If you’re interested in ways to improve the other dimensions of wellness, you can check out my posts on physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual health, too.

So that’s that. I’ll be back next week. Whatever I decide to write about, I’m sure it’ll be awesome, so stay tuned.