During Covid, everything flipped upside down. I felt that I did not want to socialize with anyone, and it affected my relationships with friends because I lost hope in my daily life. There were times I noticed I wasn’t motivated to really do anything, and then later, as I worked on my mental health, it helped me to see a light at the end of the tunnel.
As a member of Generation Z, I wanted to get a deeper feel for what social connections really meant. I’ve come to realize that social connections play one of the biggest roles in our well-being. We seek connections with others to relate to each other and find a sense of belonging. Social connections are used to weave individuals together, to find company with one another, and to ensure that no one feels alone. We want to bring individuals together to face challenges and find support through one another.
There are many important needs that are related to social connections such as emotional support, a sense of belonging, and mental health. Emotional support is important to know that people are there for you, that you feel secure in your family or relationships. It can alleviate stress when you find comfort in the right people. Having friends and family around offers a safe space to express your emotions and receive advice. A sense of belonging plays a big role in the need for connections because it allows for people to feel accepted and valued, and this relates to our self-esteem. When we feel connected with others, we are more likely to have a positive outlook and feel a sense of purpose in life.
Mental health is one of the biggest social determinants of health to help people who might have anxiety or are experiencing depression. There are many ways to be socially connected such as prioritizing relationships that you have, joining groups and communities, and practicing active listening/empathy for others.
Discussing social connections further, we have created a project called “Be Socially Connected”. This project brings students of the same age group together to learn about one another. A large factor of this project is to relate to people of the same generation; they are not alone and there are people around who they can relate to. Every week, there are zoom calls provided to get students to learn about social connections and participate in activities to learn and connect with each other.
This project also includes learning about the social influences on mental health, values of listening, social support, social capital, impacts of social media on your brain, and even more. There are many activities related to this project such as surveys about social connections to gather more information about their life, assessments to identify social supports, breakout groups with each other to identify common bonds, identifying ways to be supportive of others, and much more. There are seven sessions in this project and the last session includes meeting in person to socially connect outside of a zoom call.
During my college internship, I assisted in this project to adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of college age students. We are currently working together to add to the curriculum to ensure that the content will be applicable to specific age groups.
We want the best for you and want you to know that there are people around who may also be feeling the same way. We want you to see that there are many benefits related to social connections and building relationships with one another. Creating relationships with these people will assist you in your own well-being. Social connections are about feeling close and connected to others, and feeling cared for in your relationships. Social connections are the foundation of a happy and healthy life. It is important to prioritize these connections. Investing time into building these relationships through this project can add to our lives and the lives of individuals around us. So, let’s take a moment to get involved, mingle with others, or just be present with the people in your life that you care about!
As the Collectively team always says, together we can change the narrative on mental health!