Social well-being

TESS

What is social well-being? Is it something you can buy, teach yourself, or is it something you learn throughout your life and which perhaps weakens if you become mentally ill? We attain it throughout our life through the influences, experiences, challenges and social connections we engage in. It starts with our family, develops during our time spent in school, at work, with friends and acquaintances and through life's ups and downs. One's childhood and challenges are not equally and fairly distributed but you can still have a good life and social well-being. It demands, however, that you scrutinize your life, and it depends on whether you wish to change your current situation or not.

Can't buy friends

Some people think that they can buy their way to well-being. They think, for example, that spending for their friends’ would make them socially desirable. Oftentimes, this has short-lived results. When there is no money, the so-called "friends" are gone. Regardless of what your challenges have been, there are a couple of things you should make your mind up about: How can I achieve an increased well-being and what conditions do I have to change to achieve it? You can start modestly by taking one step at a time. When you have achieved success in one of your goals, you can then go on to the next. Social well-being must be valued. It allows you to cope with and master social situations and be with other people in a mutually giving way. Furthermore, you can fill up your spare time with activities and chores which make you feel good. Your self-esteem is strengthened by conquering your own feelings of inadequacy and turning them around so that you act in a positive and constructive way.

Better social well-being

What can you do to attain social well-being? You can show respect for others by behaving in a way that you wish yourself to be treated. This might be by giving and offering support to your family, friends, or acquaintances who are currently feeling worse than yourself. By showing respect and care to these people, you will also increase their degree of well-being. You yourself will feel a sense of well-being from having done it. It is a good idea to focus on what you used to be good at or liked doing and then try doing it again. Perhaps you are good at dancing or maybe you would like to learn how to dance. The question is whether you dare to take a risk and do something about it. If you were to take a risk, it would lead to socializing and joy. This again would give you a good sense of well-being, a better quality of life, and courage to do other things.

Good advice

Here are some advices that patients with depression recommend.

• You have to look at the interests that you have or used to have and what you are or used to be good at and strengthen them.
• If you are retiring or are retired from work, you must not withdraw from social activities.
• You must continue to function together with others and not feel inferior or superior but meet on an equal footing.
• You can help others, in order to help yourself.
• You must create and shape your everyday life by structuring it with different tasks, for example, cooking dinner, doing sports, or meeting up with friends.
• It is important to have friends who can help, support and back you up, and to show humour in a mutual way.
• You must make sure that you learn new things everyday from your friends and family or from the media.
• A telephone is a good thing but when it never rings, it is a sad thing. So call a friend every day.