“No man is an island entire of itself;
every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.”
-John Donne (1624)
No man is an island. We all need a support system to thrive. This quote describes the inter-connectedness of human experience. Nobody can make it alone, their island in the sea. We need others to help us survive and thrive. We’re a society of teachers, doctors, builders, and everything else, and none of us can do it all.
Social support system means having a network of friends and family members to whom you can reach during the time of personal crisis to have immediate assistance or to celebrate or share about your happy moments and important events in life. It helps in giving strength to carry on and thrive. It helps people to feel loved, cared and supported during adversity. It enhances their strengths and makes them believe in themselves during tough phases of life. There are people with whom they can share about different phases and experiences of life. Strong social support groups help in dealing with adversity, illness, and tough phases in life. It provides a sense of belongingness, security, and community.
These are some people in your life that provide you social support which includes your parents, spouse or partner, children, siblings, other family members, friends, co-workers, neighbours, health professionals, support groups, and sometimes even strangers. Different people in your life may provide a different kind of social support e.g. – your parent provides support in childcare work, your close friends provide support in relationship issues.
Importance of social support system –
- Social support groups lead to the reduction of psychological and physiological symptoms of stress and enhancing of the immune system.
- They encourage making healthy choices and inculcating positive behaviour in life.
- Strong social helps in the healing, treatment, and recovery process of any kind of physical ailment or even psychological issues like anxiety, depression, and also, with loneliness.
- It gives you the strength to deal with adverse situations.
- It makes you feel loved, valued and cared for. It provides you with a sense of belongingness and security.
- It helps in staying motivated while achieving goals or facing problems.
- It makes you feel that you have important people in your life with whom you can share your ups and downs of life and they will not judge you and make fun of you. These people help you realize your potential and stand by your side during thick and thin.
- They give you space to grow and explore yourself.
- Social support plays an important role in dealing with mental health problems. For example, people living with depression report lower levels of social support than others. They tend to report fewer supportive friends, less contact with their friends, less satisfaction with their friends and relatives, lower marital satisfaction and confide less in their partners.
- It provides important benefits to our physical and emotional health. It improves overall health and well-being.
- It improves self-esteem – When we have people on whom we can rely, we feel a sense of connectedness. They help us become more self-aware and reminds us about our abilities and strengths during tough phases of life.
- Research shows that good social support during old age leads to longevity of life.
Types of social support –
There are different types of social support such as –
- Emotional support – It means when people listen to you, show love, care, and empathy. For example, during the time of loss of a loved one, your close ones are there for you, listening to you, showing affection by a hug, and taking care of you.
- Practical/instrumental support – They help in completing tasks in daily life and ease the daily life stressors that you might experiences. For example – helping in shifting your home, cooking, or child care.
- Information support – They share their point of views and factual information about certain aspects of life. It will help you learn from their experiences and work on personal betterment.
- Support groups – It involves the people going through same problems, have had or are having experiences or illness, forming a group in which they share, talk, and support each other.
Social support is important for health and well-being. It helps in passing through the tough phases of life with relative ease and makes the best times of lives more memorable and beautiful. It gives a sense of connectedness, belongingness, and security.
BUDDY to share all your problems with (even anonymously, if you want) on the FeelJoy Mobile App available for all Android users.