In our digital world, it is easy to forget the importance of having good, old-fashioned relationships with other people. However, your social life has an impact on your health and wellness!

What Are Healthy Social Relationships?

Your social circle is the connections and relationships with the people in your community. This community includes your family, neighbors, coworkers and maybe long-distance friends. Relationships help people in society grow and get through tough times.

With respect to social relationships, it is essential to focus on quality over quantity. That means having a few close friends or family members you can rely on rather than a large group of acquaintances. These close relationships provide support during tough times and help you celebrate the good times. They also give you a sense of belonging and purpose, which can help boost your overall happiness and well-being. You might be wondering how these relationships affect wellness.

How Healthy Social Relationships Affect Wellness

The benefits of healthy social relationships never end. The more obvious benefits include mental health wellness. There are links between healthy social relationships and lower rates of depression and anxiety. These relationships also seem to help improve empathy and self-esteem, but that is not all.

It is possible that these relationships can actually keep you healthy and living longer. Those with better social relationships tend to have blood pressure and cardiac function that react better to stress. These relationships are also linked to healthier cardiac performance and a healthier endocrine system. A healthy social community can help fight off infectious diseases by supporting your immune system.

Strong social ties can promote healthy behaviors like exercise and eating healthy foods. Social relationships can provide a sense of belonging and identity and offer opportunities for personal growth and self-discovery.

Older adults have a more difficult time with their social relationships sometimes due to mobility issues. However, when they remain connected with their social circle, they have a decreased risk for dementia and mental deterioration. They tend to need less support and tend to have a better quality of life.

On the other hand, people who are isolated tend to have negative impacts on their health overall. You may be surprised to find out that the same health risks associated with smoking, obesity and high blood pressure are similar to those risks experienced by people with limited social contacts. Isolation can lead to poor sleep, leading to numerous health issues. It is also a risk factor for suicide.

How You Can Improve Your Social Health

Humans are social creatures by nature. We need social interaction in order to feel happy and fulfilled. According to recent studies, maintaining healthy social relationships is crucial to wellness. So what does this mean for you? It means that your friendships, family ties, and community involvement are as important as anything else you do for your physical health.

Spend time with friends and family members every day even if it is just for a few minutes over the phone or via Skype or FaceTime. Try new things together such as virtual coffee tasting. Why not get active together by going for walks or joining the local gym and get some exercise? Swimming is a great low-impact physical activity that you can enjoy together. Check out inground pools Jackson MS to get started if needed. If you don’t have any friends nearby, consider joining a club that interests you, whether it is a book club or a local volunteer organization.

Maintaining healthy social relationships is crucial to wellness for multiple reasons. It is critical to develop and preserve those healthy relationships so you can stay well and thrive.

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