The Role of Social Support for Health and Wellbeing

Your psychological health and wellbeing can be improved with the help of social support. Social support means having a good connection with friends and family members who support you in the time of psychological need. In short, people who can turn your bad day into a good one with the mental support they provide. It does not matter whether you are experiencing a mid-life crisis or any other issues; they simply wish to spend time with you to make you happy. Such people and relationships play an essential role in your day-to-day life and are referred to as social supports. Social support helps you to fight mental stress and provide you the strength to be more resilient.

Meanwhile, social support is not one-sided, you also have to become social support of someone who really needs you. In order to become social support or search social support for you, it is really important to learn the importance of social support. In this blog, I have covered the importance and role of having social support for your health and social wellbeing. So let’s get started.

Importance of Social Support

Various researchers and psychologists stated the importance of social support. No matter whatever bad or good is happening in your life, you need social support. In good and bad situations, we all need someone to support. Nobody wants to be alone when something good happens, similarly, you cannot be alone when something is not going well. With respect to this, various psychologists have stated the link between social support and mental wellness.

Poor social connection leads to loneliness and depression which increases the risk of alcohol use, suicide, cardiovascular diseases, and substance use. Additionally, there is a study that shows due to poor social support and connection men have more depression than in women.  Even people with no partner and friends are likely to die early because of loneliness and altered brain functionality. Such evidence shows the importance of social support in our life.

Types of Social Support

1. Emotional Support

Emotional support is provided by those people in your life who provide a shoulder to cry on. Such people are really necessary to have when you feel lonely and stressed.

2. Instrumental Support

An instrumental support is support provided in respect of physical needs or lending a hand when you are sick. Instrumental support means making food for someone when sick or taking someone to the hospital. Such support only fulfills physical needs.

3. Informational Support

People who provide guidance, information, advice, mentoring, and suggestions are the people who provide informational support. Informational support is so necessary in our lives specifically when we plan to take big decisions in our life.

Benefits of Social Support

Since we have understood the importance of social support, let’s see how social support benefits us.

1. Encouragement of healthy behaviors and choices

A person who supports us generally influences us to exercise, stop smoking, eat healthy, and whatnot. Social support prevents us from making mistakes in our life. Social support helps us in making healthy choices. Peer pressure and support helps us to live healthily, peacefully, and happily.

2. Help cope with anxiety and stress

Social support can turn your bad day into a good one. Social support provides emotional support in rough days and phases. In case you are having trouble communicating with someone about your issues, reach out to a therapist. A therapist will always help you to manage your relationship in a healthy way. Social support also helps you to fight the blues of PTSD.

3. Provides motivation

Social support helps you to stay motivated throughout the day. Talking to your people can really make your day. They are the source of motivation, empathy, and support.

I hope this blog helps you to become a social support or find perfect social support for yourself. Comment down and let us know what kind of support you provide to your peers. For more such inspiring and motivating content, follow Calm Sage on all social media platforms.

Thanks for reading!