It’s wellness weekly: Wellness and community — they go hand-in-hand.
Welcome to Wellness Weekly coming to you every Wednesday. This will be a weekly series, sort of like a Letter from the Editors that will rotate between Morgan, Lara, and Luigi with the occasional guest. We’ll hold space on the Dirt to check in on our Sixth Sense: the term we use to refer to our spirit, our intuition, our inner power. And because while we exist in the world alongside our other Five Senses, we’ll do a check-in of those, too.
If you’ve ever felt like you don’t fit in, you know it can be a lonely experience. Having a community provides a sense of belonging. With the pandemic and stay-at-home life, as well as a lot of jobs going virtual, it might feel a little lonely lately.
In this article, we’ll address the importance of having a community to rely on and how that can affect your mental health in a positive way.
Having people you can talk to or call when you need help with something can be very important. It’s important to have a tribe you can count on during difficult times that might seem too hard to accomplish on your own. Knowing there are people who support you, can help you feel cared for, safe and can benefit your outlook on life.
Wellness weekly: Wellness and community
Some are lucky to have family and friends around. But what do you do if you are new to a community and know no one?
Well, I experienced this in my personal life when moving to L.A.
You can find community and with senses. Using our senses is a great way to understand our community and find activities we would like to engage with.
Sight: I love to see new places and get together with my mom and sisters who are my community. We love to go on vacations to see new places.
With my husband, I like to watch new movies and shows.
Sight is a sense that can bring people together to enjoy a good time.
Smell: Look for a community that enjoys going to places where you enjoy the smells. Go to a nursery and smell the flowers, or go find a new perfume. An activity that involves smell can add something new to your life.
Touch: Who doesn’t love a nice massage? Go out with a few friends on a fun spa day! Or get a couples massage.
Hear: I love music and enjoy going to concerts and dancing. Some of the best and funnest times of my life were spent with my friends dancing reggae at the beach.
If you love music find a group of people that enjoy the same band or type of music and go to concerts together. Or if you love dancing like me find a club where you can find people that love dancing as much as you.
Taste: I love activities that involve taste. Going out to a new restaurant, wine tasting, chocolate tasting or even coffee tasting are great ways to enjoy time with your friends.
Before looking for a community it’s important to learn about yourself. Really understand what it is that you like to do or are passionate about.
Knowing this will make it easier to find and connect with other like-minded people.
Start by making a list of:
Family and Friends: Are there any friends or family you haven’t seen in a while? Reconnecting with family or friends is a great way to re-build your tribe or community. And no one knows you better and loves you unconditionally than your family or best friends.
Interests
What do you like to do? Perhaps you enjoy reading and could try joining a book club. Or maybe you’ve always wanted to try yoga and could try joining a yoga class. Find an activity you like, and you might find it easier to connect with other like-minded people while doing activities you enjoy.
Values
What are your values? Do you like to do charity or volunteer work? Being of service is rewarding, and can help you meet and connect with others who care about the same causes as you. Finding volunteer work in your community is a great way to start.
Beliefs
What do you believe in? Do you have a spiritual practice or religion? Try an introductory class or service. Do political causes speaks to you? Join a group that works toward a goal that’s meaningful to you.
Where you find community is up to you; there is no one-size-fits-all. And if you haven’t found a strong sense of community yet, keep trying. No matter if your community is big or small, finding people you connect with is vital for your mental health. And remember, just as it’s important for you to find your community, it’s also important for others to have you as a part of their community. We all need each other.
Author: Wendy Rubiano, Content Manager and Manifestation Coach at the Dirt Blog by Smudge Wellness.
