The Impact of Community Support in Mental Health & Healing
We’ve all heard the proverb “It takes a village to raise a child.” But it takes a village to help an adult grow and thrive, too. From friends, neighbors, and community resources to national organizations, peer support groups, and psychotherapists, there are so many ways we humans can—and should—rely upon each other. Studies have noted that social support may help offset certain genetic and environmental health risks, create better stress resilience, and protect against negative aftereffects of traumatic events.
A lot of people fall into the trap of thinking, “I can handle everything by myself” or “I don’t need any help.” After all, our American culture promotes independence and self-sufficiency. And though we want to be able to meet our own needs in certain ways, we must also recognize that asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness—it’s a sign of strength.
6 Benefits of Community Support
Put simply, we’re stronger together. Here are a few of my favorite benefits of community support:
1. Building Resilience
When I was diagnosed with cancer, my physician advised me not to practice Kenpo karate anymore. But this habit wasn’t just about exercise—it united me with an entire community of people who provided crucial support. I decided to ignore my doctor’s advice. To this day, I believe it was partly because of my Kenpo community that I didn’t give up or give in to the illness and all the challenges I was facing. I continued on with my martial arts practice and later received my black belt in Kenpo, which gave me a tremendous sense of personal accomplishment. Of course, my community was there to cheer me on every step of the way. Social support gives us a reason to keep going and believe in ourselves, building better resilience in the face of hardships.
2. Better Health
Having a close-knit circle of family and friends is actually an effective medicine, shown to help slow the aging process, fight illness and depression, and speed up recovery. For some people, friendships may have an even bigger impact on psychological well-being than family members. But having circles of social support is important at all levels, from close personal relationships to larger community ties. One study at Brigham Young University found that social connections—including friends, family, and colleagues—can improve your odds of better health and longevity by a whopping 50%. On the other hand, low social interaction was equated to the health impact of smoking 15 cigarettes a day, being an alcoholic, or not exercising. These findings emphasize the incredible value of quality companionship.
3. Pooling Resources
Group interaction helps foster a sense of belonging and perspective. When we share our burdens with other people, we feel less alone. Conversely, when we hear about the concerns and problems of others, we find a lot more gratitude for the many blessings we have in life. We also learn that our problems aren’t all that unique. Being in community teaches us that we all struggle with fears, insecurities, and adversity. Banding together makes us feel like we belong and eases our pain, no matter what we’re coping with. And we’re able to share ideas and resources with each other, which can help everyone better navigate their own journey through life.
4. Opportunities for Growth
In social relationships and communities, we’re offered endless opportunities to become better people. We get to sharpen our communication skills as we learn to share with and listen to others. We receive motivation and support, then offer it back in return. We can establish traditions or rituals to help us commemorate certain occasions or achievements. We learn how to process problems and celebrate our wins. We practice showing up for others—and for ourselves. We learn humility and how to be vulnerable. We can even develop a better relationship with the earth and improve our environment—for example, by joining with others on efforts like tree planting or neighborhood cleanups.
5. Helping Others
Numerous studies have shown that giving back to others provides a multitude of health benefits, and maintaining a support network offers up plenty of opportunities to help out. When you help others, you receive a boost in both physical and mental well-being and may even lower your risk of conditions like depression and dementia. Helping others also stimulates feel-good chemicals in the brain, like serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins. In fact, studies have shown that pain tolerance positively predicts a person’s social network size. That’s because oxytocin, vasopressin, and endocannabinoids—all associated with social behavior—offer pain-relieving effects.
6. Spreading Positive Habits
Did you know that healthy habits are contagious? For example, in a group of smokers, if one friend quits, their buddies are 37% more likely to kick the habit as well. Or, if your best friend starts working out, you could be more likely to join her at the gym. In other words, getting healthy can become a team effort. To get the most out of your community, inspire positive habits in each other and create accountability. Exercise together, swap healthy recipes, or simply share quality time to experience the healing power of laughter and joy. And celebrate all your wins together for ongoing feel-good effects and motivation.
How to Thrive in Community
Naturally, being in community isn’t always easy. Working with others is bound to generate emotions, reactions, and conflicts that aren’t triggered when we’re flying solo. But that’s a good thing!
Relationships give us the chance to face our own issues, learn important lessons, and grow as a result. Here are my top tips to help your community involvement flow more smoothly:
Embrace a Two-way Exchange
Life is a flow of give and take. In community, some days you’ll be the person who needs extra support. Be ready to receive it—because on some other day, you might be the one who needs to give it out to someone else. Some people are naturally better at giving, while others may be more comfortable receiving. Balancing both—even if you need to learn how to do something that doesn’t come naturally to you—is the key to healthy relationships and support groups.
Practice Active Listening
Be honest: When someone’s talking, are you actually listening or simply waiting to respond? Do you tend to interrupt people or immediately jump in with a load of advice to “fix” their problems? In healthy communities, we must practice active listening. That means being attuned to what the other person is saying and what emotions are behind it. It also means being able to witness their communication without unasked-for advice, snap judgments, or critical comments. It’s not an easy task, but working on this skill will benefit all your relationships, inside and outside of larger communities.
Navigate Conflict with Grace
When you gather together a range of personalities and backgrounds, conflict is bound to happen. Misunderstandings arise, feelings get hurt, and people make mistakes. But don’t look at conflict as a painful inconvenience or something to avoid at all costs—take it as an opportunity to grow and strengthen your relationships. In addition, some of us may find that it’s easy to forgive other people when they make mistakes, yet we beat ourselves up relentlessly for any little misstep. Make sure that you extend compassion not only to others, but to yourself.
Finding Support Through Connection
I truly don’t know where I’d be without my social support systems, but today too many Americans suffer from the epidemic of isolation and loneliness. We must all work together to transform the pain of alienation into the comfort of acceptance and belonging. With positive-minded people around us, we not only receive the benefits of a longer life, but a life well-lived.
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