Expand Your Network During Social Wellness Month

Social Wellness Month in July is a great time to assess your social circle, learn how to strengthen it and commit to meeting new people.

While there are no specific recommendations on how wide your social circle should be, it's important to evaluate whether the friends you have are fulfilling your needs for support and connection.

As you reflect on your current circle, ask yourself:

• Do I feel supported?
• Are they helping me grow?
• Do they challenge me in a positive way?

If you answered "yes" to these questions, chances are you already have the start of a great social circle. If you answered "no" to some of these, maybe it's time to expand your circle.

Getting started may seem intimidating, but one way to make new friends is by connecting with others in your own neighborhood.

The Know Your Neighbor (PDF) campaign encourages Texans to form and maintain new connections with older neighbors to help reduce the risks of isolation and loneliness.

By following five simple steps, neighbors can start making a difference in their lives and the lives of others:

• Step 1: Reach out to a neighbor. Know Your Neighbor provides tips and resources on how to do this in a safe way.
• Step 2: Invite. Ask your neighbor for a virtual or in-person introduction.
• Step 3: Engage. Ask helpful questions to get the conversation started.
• Step 4: Assist. If your neighbor needs help connecting to community resources, Know Your Neighbor has fact sheets to help them get started.
• Step 5: Tell others. Encourage others to engage with Know Your Neighbor.

Resources, including template emails and letters, are provided to make creating connections easier. More information on the campaign can be found on the Age Well Live Well webpage. To explore more social engagement resources, visit the Aging Well Resources Order Form and choose "Social Engagement" under Category.

For strategies on how to improve your social health, check out the National Institutes of Health Social Wellness Toolkit.

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.