El Paso County Public Health
July is Social Wellness Month — how are you connecting this summer?
By Dr. Paul Mayer, co-medical director of El Paso County Public Health
July is a month dedicated to social wellness — a time to create positive social habits and support systems. Building connections taps into what we’ve all been doing since birth, learning from our relationships with our family, friends and the greater world around us. We learn how to navigate complex social situations simply through interactions with others.
In-person social connection plays a critical role in keeping all of us mentally and physically healthy. Studies have found that creating and having a varied number of social relationships can help to reduce stress. Research also suggests that strong social ties may reduce other health conditions, such as heart-related risks, and can be linked to longer life.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) offers a social wellness toolkit (https://www.nih.gov/health-information/social-wellness-toolkit) to help individuals and families build support systems to stay healthier mentally and physically. NIH offers simple solutions on the following:
- The importance of making connections
- How to take care of yourself while taking care of others
- Getting active with friends, family or with your community
- How to shape healthy habits for your children
- How to deepen bonds with your children or family members
- How to build healthy relationships
However you choose to deepen your social wellness this month, remember that starting with small steps can lead to big impacts on your overall well-being.
To learn more about how social ties affect our health, visit https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2017/02/do-social-ties-affect-our-health
If you or a loved one needs behavioral health resources or assistance, visit the El Paso County Public Health behavioral health webpage to get started:
If you or a loved one is in mental crisis, reach out to the Colorado Crisis Services Hotline at
- 1-844-493-TALK (8255) or text “TALK” to 38255
- Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988
