Talk to Strangers…
It’s Healthy for You!
“Social support has been linked to
many benefits for both physical and mental health.” — Wikipedia
Have you ever noticed that when people talk about ‘getting
healthy’, they are most likely referring to physical health (food, exercise and
removing habits like smoking). While being aware of how we are nurturing our
bodies is certainly important, did you know that our mental and spiritual health
is just as critical to having a healthy quality of life?
Often overlooked and rarely discussed, the mental and
spiritual parts of our lives allow us to relate to others, understand
ourselves, cope with the challenges that are part of life, achieve personal
fulfillment, feel joyful and purposeful, and many other benefits.
Just over a year ago, I
decided to get ‘healthy’. This meant removing all processed food, grains and
sugars from my diet, increasing how much water I drank, exercising and getting
a good night rest. My body responded by releasing 70 pounds, giving me more energy,
allowing me to be more focused and many other benefits. But… I had forgotten
about the other two areas of my life. In other words, while I may have looked
healthy on the outside, situations kept showing up to tell me that on the
inside, I was not as healthy as I could be. So I did what I always do when
change is in order… I did some research.
Knowing that our mental
and spiritual health is strengthened with relationships with others, I started
there. What I discovered is that relationships fall under a broader category
called Social Support, and numerous studies confirm that having warm and
nurturing social support also provides tremendous physical health benefits.
But first, what is Social
Support? It is being part of a supportive social network. It is receiving help
from others. It is feeling cared for. Social support is often provided by
family, friends, colleagues and within groups we belong to, and each source of
support may give us something different, which is why it is important to have
all of these in our lives.
When we have a high level
of social support, we feel accepted, understood and valued. However, low social
support often leads to many health challenges including depression and anxiety.
Ok, that makes sense since ‘emotional support’ is a big part of social support,
however, what else I discovered was rather shocking.
It turns out that people
with lower social support are at higher risk for certain diseases such as
cancer or cardiovascular disease, have increased pain associated with
arthritis, experience more rapid cognitive decline as they age, and they
recover slower from certain surgeries than those with high social supports in
their life. Wow!
People with higher social
support are less likely to get colds and recover faster from them if they do
get one. They have stronger immune systems and are in better overall health,
regardless of their stress levels.
This led me to take a
closer look at my social supports and I realized that, just like adding more
leafy greens into my diet, I could use more social supports in my life and took
steps to make that happen. I also recognized those areas of my life that were already
providing healthy levels of social support and the one that stood out was Women
Talk. Not only does this monthly gathering of women feed my mental and
spiritual health, I know from comments others have made that they feel that
same sense of acceptance, support and nurturing.
If you have been to a
Women Talk gathering and heard women share their stories of a life challenge, a
painful experience and of celebration and triumph, then you have seen the
vulnerability they have expressed. You have witnessed the unconditional
emotional support freely offered by the women present. And you have realized
how amazing this is, considering most of these women are complete strangers.
By providing a safe place
to share our experiences, to be understood and to be valued for who we are,
Women Talk is an excellent source for social support. So, if ‘getting healthy’
is on your bucket list, and you want to expand beyond your physical body and be
whole-healthy, please accept this invitation to attend Women Talk every last
Thursday of the month. Your mental and spiritual health will thank you.
For more information
about the monthly WOMEN TALK meeting in Strathmore, including how you may
participate by attending or being a Talker, please visit www.WomenTalk.ca/Strathmore.
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