Finding COVID and lockdown emotionally demanding and taxing? Want to know how to look after your social wellness and wellbeing during the pandemic? Read further to find out 3 ways to look after your social wellness and wellbeing during this difficult and unpredictable time.
Hello all. Hope that you have been having a good week. If you have been following the Wellness by Greg blog, you will know that I have begun to explore wellbeing during COVID, with my first blog looking at emotional wellbeing. If you would like to read that, please see the link below.
For those who read the last blog, you will know that I looked at a few ways of supporting your emotional wellbeing, and as social wellbeing is the topic for today’s blog, I would like us to explore a few ways to look after our social wellness and wellbeing during these difficult times.
3 tips to supporting your social wellbeing during COVID-19
Before we look at ways to support your social wellness, it is important to know what this means.
Social wellbeing is having a sense of connectivity, belonging, and a well-developed social support network system.
This sense of connection, this social element, is important as having a social connection to others, especially during this difficult time of COVID where we are subject to quarantines and periods of isolation. As mentioned in my blog around emotional wellbeing, looking after your emotional wellbeing is also about limiting your exposure to the news and social media. There is a lot of content out there that can be misleading as well as emotionally toxic. A lot of the news at the moment may be about the negative effects of COVID, about the deaths, about the lockdown, about the economy….its enough to really make you feel down and dejected. And believe it or not, but having a limited social media connection may actually be a good thing for your social wellbeing and wellness.
Having a strong sense of social wellbeing may also help you to manage and deal with daily stressors in a more healthy way.
1. Reach out and connect
Reach out and connect with friends and family. Try and have telephone calls or video calls. This will help to enhance the quality of the contact, and may make for a more meaningful type of engagement above text messaging.
Where you may not have many friends, or where you may find it difficult to engage in a meaningful conversation when 4 people are on the video call, connecting with one friend may be a good alternative, as not only will you be able to have a more meaningful discussion, but you may find that you and or your friend may feel more able and more comfortable to speak about certain subjects alone than in a group setting.
2. Arrange virtual hangouts
This links to reaching out and connecting to friends and families, but having it more of a planned event. For example, throw a pizza party. Link in, have a pizza together (virtually) and have a catch up. Another idea is to maybe try a fancy dress evening where you have a virtual dinner and drinks with friends or family. Use your imagination. Have fun with it. You may be surprised to see how many events and activities you can plan together.
3. Online gaming and movies
Another thing to try may be setting up online gaming with friends. This may be a way to share an activity that you enjoy, staying in contact and having fun in the process.
Another thing to try may be to set up a movie night where you all watch a movie together. This may a movie that you all enjoy and have on DVD. If you prefer and would rather use online streaming services, there is Teleparty, an innovative way to watch movies with others via the streaming service Netflix. I have no affiliation to Teleparty or Netflix and I am not receiving payment for mentioning them here. I just think it is a good idea, and if you give it a try, let me know how you get on and your experiences with these services.
Finally, I would like to leave you with a video featuring Dr Patrick Kingsep, Clinical Psychologist with The University of Western Australia. he leads an interesting video about social wellness and wellbeing which I hope you find useful and of help.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, and if you know of anyone who may benefit from / appreciate the blog, please recommend it to them as well. And if you are feeling low and struggling with your mental health, please know that during this difficult time of the pandemic, that there is still help out there and help available. Talk to your GP. Free phone Samaritans 116 123.
There is help out there. You are not alone.
Remember: it’s a journey. It will take time. Have patience in the process. You will get there. Until then, stay happy, stay healthy, and have a lovely time wherever you are on the planet.
And remember: love yourself. And others.
Greg
References:
A bit about the author:
I am a guy who just over 40, who is sharing a journey of wellness and wellbeing. I am also a mental health professional with a wealth of years of experience in supporting individuals who have challenging mental illnesses and personality disorders.
Prior to my current professional role, I spent several years supporting members of the community as a fitness professional, assisting individuals with weight loss and health improvement programmes.
I completed a PGDip in Mental Health Nursing in 2013, and an MSc in Advanced Practice in 2016 in which I looked at improving nurses’ level of engagement with patients with challenging personality disorders.
In 2018 I successfully undertook a Clinical reasoning in Physical Assessments course, and in 2020 I commenced further training in Nurse Prescribing to train toward becoming an Advanced Nurse Practitioner, and will be looking forward to supporting those in the community with mental health support and medicinal support.
In 2015 I also undertook a Mentorship for practice (BSc Hons) course and have been supporting future nurses with their training and development. I have also recently supported a Healthcare Assistant Staff toward training in and successfully passing and achieving a Foundation Degree in Mental Health Nursing.
In my current role I am a person looking to support the physical and mental health and wellbeing of the individual. Don’t think of me as a motivational coach or speaker. Think of me more as a wellness guide, as I use my mental health training and experience to suggest and advice ways to enhance your wellness and wellbeing. If you are struggling with your mental health though, please seek advice from a medical professional such as your GP.
I believe that it is a journey. It is a process. It will take time. But we will get there.
Remember: it’s a journey. It will take time. Have patience in the process. You will get there. Until then, stay happy, stay healthy, and have a lovely time wherever you are on the planet.
And remember: love yourself. And others.
Thanks for the interesting blog; the message is ageless and particularly meaningful in our current times.