Social Self Care
Social Self-care is strengthening and maintaining healthy, and supportive relationships. It is seeking support during times of stress and taking time out of your day to connect others.
As humans, the relationships we form with other people are vital to our mental and emotional wellbeing, and really, our survival. A healthy relationship fulfills one of our most basic needs, which is the need to know we belong. Studies have proven that social connection provides incredible benefits.
Click on the + below to see what some of those benefits are!
Stress connection and social support
Earlier in this course we talked about the stress connection in our bodies. We are now going to look at the hormone Oxytocin during that stress response. Oxytocin has many nicknames, including "the cuddle hormone".
Oxytocin is a neuro-hormone
It fine tunes your brain's social instincts. It helps you do things that strengthen close relationships. It can make you crave physical contact with your friends and family. It enhances your empathy and even makes you more willing to help and support others.
It is part of the stress response
Oxytocin is as much a part of the stress response as the adrenaline is that makes your heart pound. When it is released during a stressful situation it is motivating you to seek support from others. It is telling you share how you are feeling with those around you instead of bottling it up.
Oxytocin effects more than just your brain
oxytocin plays many roles in the body when it is released. It is a natural anti-inflammatory. It helps your blood vessels relax during stressful situations.
Oxytocin and the heart
Your heart has receptors for oxytocin on it. Oxytocin helps heart cells regenerate and heal from any stress induced damage. This hormone can strengthen your heart.
Oxytocin is enhanced by social contact and social support
Reaching out to others while under stress or supporting others during their stress releases this hormone making your stress response healthier.
Built-in mechanism for stress resilience
Our bodies have a built in mechanism for stress resilience and that is Human Connection!
What does a healthy relationship look like?
A positive relationship can be shared between any two people who love, respect, encourage and help each other practically as well as emotionally.
There are several components that make up a healthy relationship, and although not one will ever be perfect, it is important to seek certain traits and capabilities in order to obtain it.
Click the tabs below to learn more about the traits to look for in a healthy relationship.
Open, honest and safe communication is a fundamental part of a healthy relationship. The first step to building a relationship is making sure you both understand each other’s needs and expectations—being on the same page is very important. That means you have to talk to each other!
If you and the other person can enjoy of mutual trustworthiness, honesty, dependability, loyalty, and, as an interrelated quality, the ability to trust others, then you’re off to a good start!
Empathy, the ability to withhold judgment, effective listening skills, and the ability to offer support in good times and bad are essential in a healthy relationship.
Creating boundaries is a good way to keep your relationship healthy and secure. By setting boundaries together, you can both have a deeper understanding of the type of relationship you can provide for each other. It’s not a sign of secrecy or distrust — it’s an expression of what makes you feel comfortable and what you would like or not like to happen within the relationship.
” If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap.
If you want happiness for a day, go fishing.
If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune.
If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.
Chinese Proverb
Mending fences
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Study the art of boundaries
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Embody Gratitude
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Strive to be your ideal: be the friend that you would like others to be for you.
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Know when to let go.
Click the + signs below to learn more about products to support your social self care.
