Social wellness refers to the relationships we have and how we interact with others. It is a person’s relationship that can provide support at difficult times. In a broader sense, social wellness includes creating supportive, nurturing, and healthy relationships and fostering a genuine bond with people around them. Conscious actions are vital to learning the ways of balancing one’s social life with their professional and academic lives.
Importance of Social Wellness for Kids, According to Jonah Engler
Maintaining an optimum social wellness level, according to Jonah Engler, will enable kids to build healthy relationships with siblings, friends, and family. Having supportive social networks will allow kids to develop assertive skills and become comfortable with who they are in a social situation. To surround kids with a positive social network will help in increasing their self-esteem. It is social wellness that will help kids create boundaries that will encourage communication, conflict management, and trust. In short, having the right social wellness undoubtedly is critical to developing emotional resilience.
The Route Towards Kid’s Social Wellness
The moment kids begin their route towards social wellness; they will discover that they possess the power to enhance their relationships. To maintain social wellness will help kids in practicing active listening and empathy. Below are some ways kids can begin their journey towards the social wellness route as per Engler: –
- Reflect on one’s self and their social needs. What aspects of social life do kids enjoy, and which parts would they desire to improve?
- Take an effort to communicate with family and friends.
- Practice self-disclosure.
- Practice active listening and take part in group discussions.
- Join an organization or a club.
Social Wellbeing and its Key Components
Family and friends play a vital role in a person’s life, and this includes kids too. After all, they are one’s trusted allies and closest confidantes. Building bonds that are enjoyable as well as is a source of comfort and pride will take a specific level of well-being with oneself. Every child, for that matter, experiences social unease sometimes, yet those with disabilities doubt whether they will get accepted in school circles. Social well-being starts with the confidence and self-esteem for interacting with others as well as at the time of building positive ties. Take a look at the critical components related to social wellness: –
- The ability to approach new people.
- Taking part in intimate relationships.
- Creating a supportive friends circle.
- Taking part in social and family activities.
- Engaging in school activities with others.
Is Wellness that Important for Kids?
If a child does not feel good about himself/herself, the direction they take in life, or their ability, then automatically, it will be tough to reverse negative trends and pursue positive courses of action. Taking into consideration the pressures in life, every kid experience and those faced by kids with special needs are likely to bring them down. At times, it seems so much time gets invested attaining menial tasks or following simple goals, which grander dreams will seem impossible.
The truth is, well-being is an immensely crucial tool in a box that can help kids emerge out from the darkness as well as into the light. Each kid can get trapped or feel stuck, via circumstances in their lives. During such times, it is easy to become overwhelmed. To conquer whatever is causing a kid to feel out of sorts, mental or physical problems need all their energy. Thus, wellness and well-being play a crucial part in coping with the inevitable challenges in life and the changing course with the hope to discover peace of mind.
Tips to Create Social Wellness in a Kid’s Life
No child can attain perfection in life, chiefly because life is a process that will continue to evolve. Kids, however, can achieve perfection with regards to happiness and satisfaction. For creating social wellness, these are some vital steps that kids need to undertake,
- Know the Needs – Every kid has unique requirements. What one may feel vital may appear irrelevant for another and vice versa. Kids should be taught to identify their needs to avoid feeling the pressure to perform in an environment that they do not care about or enjoy.
- Reach Out – Making new friends are the foremost step towards social wellness. In the absence of this initiative, automatically, it will become difficult for a child to reap the perks of prospective relationships. It is good to join art classes or any other extracurricular activities which focus on the child’s interest. They can also explore different forms of avenues that pique their interest.
- Select Relationships – Some relationships may harm people, which may result in unnecessary strain on the kid’s emotional state, thereby affecting their functioning socially. The bottom line is that kids should always stay in the company of healthy people that care about them and their well-being. They are people that will nurture kids and also support their needs. When there are compassion and trust, the child will automatically feel satisfied and safe.
- Accept Yourself – This step is indeed tricky as often the society needs conformity. Thus, cooperating with mores and standards does not mean changing oneself and turning into an individual one is not. No two children are the same, so they should accept themselves as they are. The moment a child tries to confirm, he/she will find that the pressure of changing them will impact them in multiple ways, of which all will be negative.
- Effective Communication – Being capable of communicating well is an essential element of social wellness in a child as this will help the child in initiating relationships.
Wrapping Things Up
The bottom line is, parents should ensure in making it a practice in continuously working on their kid’s social connections. It is a continuous process for the parents and kids. Maintaining healthy relations right from the tender years will have a noteworthy impact on every other dimension of wellness in the years that will come.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
Speak Your Mind