Social & Cultural Wellness

Social wellness is the ability to connect, develop, and maintain healthy relationships with those around you (friends, family, and co-workers).

Cultural wellness is the act of supporting cultural diversity in your community and building positive and respectful relationships with people of different backgrounds.

In the initial wellness quiz I posted, the quiz had 3 statements you had to rate pertaining to social/cultural wellness: “I`m able to find the time to maintain healthy relationships with friends and family,” “I feel I belong to a group or community,” and “I respect others and their cultural identities,” (if you haven’t already, take the time to take the quiz now to see how balanced you are in the social/cultural section of wellness, as well as all other sections of wellness – link is in the sources). If you are looking for something more specific, try the Social Wellness Assessment here: http://definitionofwellness.com/dimensions-of-wellness/social-wellness/

According to the Western University website, some social and cultural wellness examples and facts include:

Developing strong and healthy relationships with friends and family
Respecting and understanding others
Respecting the cultural identities of others
Managing and/or removing unhealthy relationships
Spending time with friends and family
Feeling confident in yourself alone and with others
Good social networks and support systems have been known to be beneficial to people’s overall health
Socially isolated people are more prone to illness
Human touch (hugging) has been known to improve mood and overall health
Laughter is a great medicine
Those who have a strong social network can manage stress better and have higher self-esteem

How can you improve your social and cultural wellness?

Joining a club that interests you
Attend events
Volunteer
Open and willing to meet new people
Being open-minded and appreciative of diversity (ie. Try new food)
Seeking and taking new offers and experiences
Managing/balancing all of your relationships (healthy and open communication is key)
Treat yourself and others with respect
Spending more time with friends and family

If you are interested in improving your social and cultural wellness, here are some resources: