Soul Café is about paying attention to our individual well-being and creating space to be well together! Origin Active Lifestyle Communities wants to encourage you to look inwardly and outwardly. By being more aware of ourselves and each other, we transform the atmosphere, and all take steps towards fulfilling our potential. Some of the foundational elements of well-being that we hope to develop further are connecting with the people around you, being mindful, ongoing learning, and practicing generosity.
In this edition of our Soul Café blog, we will be exploring the dimension of Social Wellness. As social creatures, we are certainly inundated daily with the task of being social. There are social expectations that follow us into every aspect of our lives. Whether at home or work or anywhere we may venture, our social attributes define the type of relationships that we will foster and nourish. Before we move forward, let’s take a deep breath. Now let that breath out slowly. We all know that relationships are nuanced with many challenges to navigate. Remember, this guide is merely that, a guide. A guide to a more self-compassionate life, one where you embrace the opportunities ahead of you, learn to have brave, honest conversations with your inner critic and flourish in the place you are currently.
Social Wellness speaks to our health in regards to how we interact with others. This dimension of wellness has profound implications because our actions and attitudes have an impact on the actions and attitudes of others. So, what can we do to elevate our Social Wellness? Consider a few of the following practices to nurture this dimension in your life.
Get Inspired
You are awesome and so is the world in which we live! With so much negative news surrounding us, we can easily lose sight of the things around us that evoke a sense of awe in our souls. Even though you might think of being awestruck as a childish notion, research is showing that people who feel the sense of awe also gain the sense that they are a part of a much bigger story. They seek to contribute to society through volunteering, giving to charity, or finding other meaningful ways to make a positive difference in the community where they live. This sense of awe extends beyond scenic vistas. We can also be inspired by people past and present that have spoken into and demonstrated the power to improve our wellness. Author Karen Marie Moning says: “Who and what we surround ourselves with is who and what we become.” Inspiring people can be found through TED Talks, proper use of social media, and signing up for a new course that promotes your growth. Don’t just wait for chance encounters! You also can look in the mirror and recognize your personal awe and realize that there are others just waiting for someone to inspire them and that person is you!
Nurture Relationships
Face-to-face conversations are a treasure. Beyond just the obvious of seeking conversation outside the aid of technology, how many of us truly evaluate our ability to have a conversation without the distraction of a device nearby with notifications providing an endless stream of interruptions? Whether the conversation topic is trivial or meaningful, our social wellness increases when we are approachable, show interest, extend compassion, and be true to ourselves. Do not sacrifice conversation for mere connection. Laugh a lot, cry a little, and savor the truth that our humanity is a mysterious gift to be shared with others.
Take Responsibility
Practicing forgiveness may start with forgiving yourself. While this practice is difficult, forgiveness can lead to greater feelings of self-confidence, personal peace, and hope for the present and the future. As you learn to own your part, you recognize that, while every relationship involves the positive and negative attributes of everyone involved, you are responsible for your involvement. Do not burden yourself with the weight of complete responsibility but also do not overlook the moments where you might have had the opportunity to make healthier decisions.
Appreciate Yourself
There are many options for providing self-care, but the most important thing is to engage! Soul Café exists to encourage you to know your sense of purpose, belonging, and meaning. Don’t miss out on the exciting opportunities that Soul Café is providing for you. Other ways that you can appreciate yourself can be getting enough sleep, eating healthy, exercising regularly, and staying away from harmful personal coping mechanisms. Social wellness is often developed through learning to take time away from everyone else. Practicing yoga, meditation, reading, journaling, or setting up a home retreat are just some examples of ways that you can learn to appreciate yourself.
Breathe. Remember, the goal of the Soul Café is to improve the quality of life for our team members by training team members to be aware of mind-body wellness. In particular, we will continue to explore multiple dimensions of wellness related to the physical, mental, spiritual, environmental, emotional, nutritional, social and financial aspects of life. Each one of these dimensions works in harmony with the other dimensions! As we explore all of the different aspects of mind-body wellness together, we trust that this process will allow you to experience growth both personal and communally. We encourage you to take the time to reflect on each wellness dimension that we will be developing further here. Make sure that you share with anyone that can benefit from this guide to Social Wellness!
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