Are you looking for ways to take care of yourself while still maintaining healthy relationships with people? Then this blog post is for you.
Maybe you often get caught up in other activities, especially work and you rarely spend time with your friends and family members. Or you are an introvert who prefers to stay alone indoors, you need to know that your self-care practice isn’t complete if you don’t value social self care.
It’s important to know that irrespective of how busy you can be, building supportive social relationships with your friends, colleagues, and family is essential for your overall health and well-being.
You should know that practicing self-care does not mean you are selfish. It only means you value your physical & mental health and want to spend time taking care of your health to avoid burnout.
While there are other types of self-care practices, we’ll be focusing on what social self-care is and 15 ideas to help you build meaningful connections with people.
Ready to get started? Let’s go!
What is Social Self Care?
Self-care comes in many forms, including physical self-care, emotional self-care, mental self-care, spiritual self-care, and social self-care.
Social self-care refers to a type of self-care that has to do with taking care of one’s well-being while maintaining healthy social connections with people.
No man is a loner. Human beings are social beings. We all got to where we are today due to the connections we once had with people.
While social self-care requires you to value relationships, you should stay clear of people you find draining to be around. This is necessary for your overall well-being.
Benefits of Social Self Care Activities
The importance of social self-care in our lives cannot be overemphasized. When you practice social self-care with other types of self-care, you can be sure to get the following benefits:
Stress Management
Spending time with your friends and loved ones helps to reduce stress levels and promote relaxation.
Whether it’s playing games, joining a fitness class, or spending quality time with a family member through phone conversation, you can be sure to relieve yourself of accumulated stress due to your busy schedule.
Improved Self-Esteem
Do you know that practicing social self-care can foster a deeper sense of self-worth, thereby improving your self-esteem and confidence? Now you know.
When you are engaged in activities that foster positive social interactions like appreciating one another and finding yourself in a loving environment, your self-confidence will be increased.
Physical Health Benefits
Social self-care can also promote your physical health. When you engage in physical activities like exercising with your friends, you boost your immune system and lower the risk of chronic diseases. This in turn gives you a feeling of relief.
Increased Happiness
When you socialize with others, it leads to a feeling of happiness and life satisfaction.
Social self-care activities like chatting with your neighbors, attending parties, and joining a community contribute to a sense of fulfillment and joy.
Enhanced Communication & Interpersonal Skills
Having meaningful relationships helps improve your communication & interpersonal skills, such as active listening, empathy & assertiveness.
These skills are valuable for building and maintaining healthy relationships. They are also important skills needed in the professional world.
Increased Resilience
Your close connections act as a buffer against life’s challenges that pose a threat to your mental & emotional health. This will make you more resilient in the face of adversity.
Knowing that there are people who are ready to listen and help you when you need their support can increase your coping abilities.
Emotional Support
Social relationships also provide individuals with the emotional support they need when going through depression, anxiety, and stress.
Sharing your feelings with trusted friends and loved ones provides you with the needed support to overcome any challenges you may be facing.
Fosters a Sense of Belonging & Community
Knowing that you are part of a community of like-minded individuals can help foster a sense of belonging.
It makes sense when you find yourself in a group that uplifts and motivates you to become the best version of yourself. This will boost your confidence and give you joy.
Social Self-Care Ideas
In our busy lives, it can be so hard to create time for friends and family. However, spending time with people that matter most to you should be a part of your daily life.
Here are self-care activities you can incorporate into your everyday life:
Start a New Hobby
Look out for new hobbies you can start with your friends and family. This will help you meet new people and bring you happiness.
You can start writing, singing, playing instruments, painting, baking, or pottery.
Go on Date Nights
Date nights do not necessarily have to be for romantic couples alone, you can also go on a date with your friends.
Choose a date to meet up and book a nice restaurant where you can gist and reminisce on different things.
Host or Attend a Game Night
It’s high time you step out of your comfort zone and attend that game night your friends have been inviting you to. Don’t be an indoor person who doesn’t love to try new things; you should at least spice yourself up.
Connect with your family and friends by hosting a game night in your home. Get your board games, card games, and video games, and enjoy a moment of bliss.
Volunteer in Your Community
Community volunteers are great individuals who devote their time to ensuring people live in a safe and clean environment.
This is a great way to give back to your community and make new friends who are passionate about their environments.
Look for NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) or charity organizations interested in your volunteering service and start with them.
Get Together with Your Old Friends
Wow! This is an interesting way to remember the good old days.
If you have some high school or college friends you want to meet with again, you can put a call through to them and set a date to meet with them.
It’s going to be a lot of fun as you’ll all remember one thing or the other that some people might have forgotten. Not only is this a social self-care activity, but it’s also an emotional self-care practice.
Join a Book Club
This is a great idea if you love reading books and want to expand your knowledge.
You can either create your own book club or join an existing one where you can share your reviews on books you’ve read.
Reading not only improves your vocabulary but also helps to lower your stress levels.
Attend Festivals/Events
If there are events in your community, either annual or bi-annual festivals, you can attend with your family or friends. Whether it’s an art, music, cultural festival, or fashion event, you can’t afford to miss out on the fun you’d enjoy.
Partaking in these activities is a beautiful way to make new connections with people and find joy.
Join a Fitness or Dance Class
If you are a dance lover, you can join a dance/fitness class to stay active.
Seeing people with the same interests as you will promote a sense of belonging & community.
Engaging in a dance class is also an example of physical self-care activities. So not only will you be building relationships, but you’ll also be prioritizing your physical health.
Volunteer at an Animal Shelter
Another social self-care activity you can engage in is spending time with a furry friend (a pet you love).
You can look for an animal shelter in your area that requires volunteers. Some of these animal shelters need individuals to help them walk their dogs and play with other animals.
Take Your Work to a Cafe
If you are a remote worker who rarely goes out of the house unless you want to go grocery shopping, this is a social self-care idea for you.
You can choose a day in the week to step out of your house and sit in a coffee shop where you can at least interact with one or two people. Being around people makes you feel relaxed and happy.
Call a Loved One
Pick up your phone and put a call through to that person you’ve always wanted to talk to. It can be your grandparents, parents, siblings, or friends.
Talking to them will make you happy and fulfilled. There’s no way you’ll call your family member or friends and won’t be happy.
So, create time out of your busy schedule (it can be 5-10mins) and talk to that special person. This act should also be a part of your self-care routine.
Set Boundaries
Oh! This is highly important in building healthy connections. Setting clear boundaries is a great practice for keeping your healthy relationships.
If you find a relationship draining and it’s already disturbing your emotions or mental health, it’s high time you do away with that relationship.
You should learn to say “No” to any social activity that may pose a threat to your health.
Do a Social Media Detox
Social media is a helpful avenue to relate and meet with people. But if you notice your social media feed is not encouraging and uplifting enough, you can clean out your following list.
Unfollow negative people that make you feel less of yourself online. Look out for people that are no longer serving you what you need and unfollow them.
You can also decide to go on a social media break and spend the time you use on social media daily with your loved ones.
Seek Therapy
Seeking professional help is an essential self-care practice. Therapy is not just for individuals diagnosed with mental health disorders, it’s for everyone who needs help in one way or the other.
Your therapist gives you advice on how to take care of yourself and prioritize your well-being. A therapist is also a close friend willing to listen to you whenever you need someone to talk to.
Connect with a Colleague Outside of Work
Your connection with a co-worker shouldn’t end at your workplace alone. As individuals, our work is a good place to build long-lasting relationships.
You can schedule a coffee date or post-work meeting with a colleague and start up a discussion with the person.
Wrapping Up
Social self-care is important to your health (mental and physical). Social self-care encourages you to maintain a healthy relationship with yourself and others.
Social self-care helps to foster a sense of belonging, increase resilience, improve self-esteem, increase happiness, manage stress, and enhance communication & interpersonal skills.
So, if you are an introvert who’s interested in building meaningful connections with people, we’ve explained 15 self-care activities that enhance your mental health and overall well-being.
Whether you decide to go for a date night, volunteer in your community, get together with old friends, join a book club, attend events, start a new hobby, or host a game night, there are many ways you can stay sociable while still maintaining your sound health and mind.
Choose what works best for you and stay happy always.
What social self-care practice are you engaged in? Share in the comment.
