{"id":6191,"date":"2024-03-08T10:11:45","date_gmt":"2024-03-08T15:11:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/inside-rec\/?p=6191"},"modified":"2024-03-12T19:44:19","modified_gmt":"2024-03-12T23:44:19","slug":"developing-social-wellness-at-uri","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/inside-rec\/2024\/03\/08\/developing-social-wellness-at-uri\/","title":{"rendered":"Flourish Friday: Developing Social Wellness at URI"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As we continue on our journey exploring the essential pillars of wellness, in this week\u2019s FloURIsh Friday, I\u2019ll introduce you to the concept of what Campus Recreation refers to as Social Wellness.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>What is Social Wellness?&nbsp;<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Social wellness is integral to your daily life, even if you haven\u2019t realized it yet. It impacts your social identity, how you communicate with others, and how you build relationships. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.northwestern.edu\/wellness\/8-dimensions\/social-wellness.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Northwestern University<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u2019s Student Affairs Department defines social wellness as \u201cdeveloping a sense of connection, belonging, and a support system.\u201d Someone with higher feelings of social wellness feels more included in their social network, well supported, and is able to develop health boundaries and relationships built on trust.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Why is Social Wellness Important?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nobody gets through life alone; a strong sense of community is closely linked to both mental and physical well-being. The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhs.gov\/about\/news\/2023\/05\/03\/new-surgeon-general-advisory-raises-alarm-about-devastating-impact-epidemic-loneliness-isolation-united-states.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">US Surgeon General<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> considers community support and social wellness as a key part of physical wellness because of the mind-body connection, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Now more than ever, loneliness is a problem for students across college campuses nationwide. In fact, in 2023 Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy declared the epidemic of loneliness and isolation a public health crisis. Evidence shows that social wellness is critical in reducing physical and mental health conditions; just a simple social connection can protect you from ailing health.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Tips to Help Rams with Social Wellness<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Participate in a Group Class Through Campus Rec:<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">URI\u2019s Campus Recreation Facilities has a wide variety of group fitness classes encouraging you to get active with the support of a community behind you.<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imleagues.com\/spa\/portal\/mobileapps\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> To register for these classes, Download IMLeagues<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and consider bringing a friend along. Class offerings include yoga, zumba, cycling, and more. Our supportive community offers an environment to get moving while connecting with others.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You can also check out similar Campus Recreation activities like club and intramural sports, or try a new Aquatics activity like glideboarding to meet new friends while having a good time.&nbsp;<\/span><\/i><b><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Use Technology Intentionally:&nbsp;<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We have unprecedented access to communicate with one another thanks to the prevalence of technology. In some ways this is great \u2013 you can keep in touch with long-distance friends, reconnect with people you haven\u2019t seen in a while, and keep a finger on the pulse of your community. Unfortunately, all this access can sometimes have a distancing effect. The quantity of online interaction might not be of great quality. Technology is a great social resource, but it shouldn\u2019t be your only resource. Use it as a tool to make in-person plans, or consider a phone call instead of sending another text. Find little ways to let technology support your social wellness. I suggest joining Campus Recreation\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/events.uri.edu\/event\/rhody_virtual_trivia_7106?utm_campaign=widget&amp;utm_medium=widget&amp;utm_source=University+of+Rhode+Island\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">virtual trivia<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> with friends to compete for up to 50$ in Amazon gift cards.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Join Social Groups and Attend Events to Create and Maintain Close Friendships:<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sometimes the key to friendship is a common goal or value. Other times it\u2019s just about finding people to see regularly. URI offers resources for students to feel connected to each other and their community through the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/studentinvolvement\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Office of Student Involvement<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/leadership\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Center for Student Leadership Department<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. With over <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/studentinvolvement\/student-groups\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">120+ student groups <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">you are sure to find an organization or activity that interests you! Visit <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/urinvolved.uri.edu\/organizations\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">URIInvolved<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, the new student involvement platform to join and message student organizations with ease. There\u2019s a place for everyone no matter what your interests are. I personally am a part of the English Undergraduate Student Advisory Board and 193 Coffeehouse, where I\u2019ve connected with people all across campus!&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Healthy Relationship Skills<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Maintaining relationships isn\u2019t always a breeze. No matter how much you love and care about someone, you will face the occasional disagreement. Nobody agrees with everybody all the time. Sometimes a little argument can snowball into something much bigger if you don\u2019t tend to your social wellness needs within your relationships. It\u2019s important to lean on the foundational skills of building healthy relationships such as:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Communicate:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> So much frustration starts with simple miscommunication or failure of communication between two parties.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Here\u2019s an example: You planned to grab lunch with your friend Sally this weekend. This lunch is very important to you because you\u2019ve been feeling disconnected from Sally since she started hanging out with some new friends. When Sally cancels at the last minute to catch up on homework, you find that your feelings are hurt. You try to tell Sally that you\u2019re hurt but she doesn\u2019t understand why missing this lunch was such a big deal. You both end up angry and upset.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is where communication comes into play. Sally doesn\u2019t understand your emotions, because you haven\u2019t been <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">open about your feelings.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> People aren\u2019t mind readers. If you don\u2019t tell Sally that you\u2019ve felt distant from her and that this lunch means a lot to you, then Sally won\u2019t understand how canceling will upset you. For Sally, unaware of how you feel, she maybe doesn\u2019t focus on getting her homework done earlier. She may figure that rescheduling really isn\u2019t a big deal. In these instances,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> it\u2019s important to recognize how you\u2019re feeling so that you can communicate your needs to others<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Learn to Listen:&nbsp; <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">How often are you listening to someone and thinking more about what you\u2019re going to say next, than what they\u2019re saying? Have you ever been talking to someone and they won\u2019t look up from their phone?&nbsp; Listening is a skill, believe it or not. It\u2019s something to practice and key to understanding and working with others. When connecting with people you\u2019ll have much greater success if you focus on fundamental facets of listening. Be sure to pay attention to what the other is saying, and don\u2019t talk over them. Pay attention to the nonverbal cues you\u2019re emitting and receiving \u2013 having an attentive posture and making eye contact can signal that you\u2019re engaged and care. Also be sure to note the body language, tone, and facial expressions of the person you\u2019re listening to. These cues communicate even more information than just words alone. Try to ask questions and give people space to talk.&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For more information on social wellness and steps to facilitate social support, check out the additional resources below.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Additional Resources:&nbsp;<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nih.gov\/health-information\/social-wellness-toolkit\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">National Institutes of Health Social Wellness Toolkit<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhs.gov\/surgeongeneral\/priorities\/connection\/challenge\/index.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Surgeon General\u2019s 5-for-5 Connection Challenge<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Stay tuned for next week\u2019s FloURIsh Friday Blog as we highlight emotional wellness. We also encourage you to attend FloURIsh Fest on April 12th from 11-2 on the quad! Flourish Fest will bring organizations together across URI, through programming meant to enrich students&#8217; emotional, financial, intellectual, social, and physical lives. Join us on the quad to meet exciting vendors, learn about our amazing sponsors and enter our raffle!<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>By Milo Heard<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As we continue on our journey exploring the essential pillars of wellness, in this week\u2019s FloURIsh Friday, I\u2019ll introduce you to the concept of what Campus Recreation refers to as Social Wellness. What is Social Wellness?&nbsp; Social wellness is integral to your daily life, even if you haven\u2019t realized it yet. It impacts your social [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4739,"featured_media":6192,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spring-2024"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/inside-rec\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6191","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/inside-rec\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/inside-rec\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/inside-rec\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4739"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/inside-rec\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6191"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/inside-rec\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6191\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6197,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/inside-rec\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6191\/revisions\/6197"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/inside-rec\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/inside-rec\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6191"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/inside-rec\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6191"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/inside-rec\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}