While the pandemic has fragmented many of our social circles, there is great benefit in trying to put those pieces back together, as well as bring new circles of people together remotely! Today’s blog post from Osmosis Health & Wellness Coach, Ishan Dahal, discusses the immense positive impact social support has had on the Osmosis culture and health—and how you can apply these lessons learned to your own life.
Social interaction is the glue of society. It is hard to imagine an exciting world to live in without meaningful social interaction. It seems quite obvious that our interactions shape our behavior. Can you leverage this power of social interaction in helping you make better decisions? Can it help you contribute towards your overall well-being? The response here is a resounding yes!
In Osmosis, we pride ourselves on having created a culture where our mantra is, “People first.” We are constantly looking for ways to learn, grow, and contribute in making our culture more collaborative by leveraging the power of social interaction. Here we share different aspects of social interaction that have stood out in our journey.
Thoughtful listeners
We live in an age where information is readily available; however, it can be quite paralyzing to make sense of it all. Sometimes the information can be contradictory. How do we deal with such ambiguity?
A social group with like-minded goals can be a sounding board. Group members can provide perspectives that might shed new light on information. The group can also help fact-check and filter out noise from information overload. Both of these can lead to better decision-making.
“In today’s world, where we find ourselves more isolated from friends and family, it is especially important to reach out and maintain those social connections, share information, and have meaningful discussions about what is going on. It’s also important to balance this by creating and sharing joyful and relaxing experiences to keep up morale and equally focus on new positive things we have discovered on our journey.” – Salma Ladhani, MD
Oneness of purpose
A social group that comes together for an agreed purpose is quite powerful. The group can feed off of each other’s energy in pursuing that goal. Teams that agree on a purpose and pursue it have achieved great feats. The journey is always more fun with friends—and even more so when your purpose is aligned.
Motivation support
Social groups can be a source of motivation. Regardless of the challenge, it’s natural to not have the best day all the time. This is where the power of social support comes in handy.
Being surrounded by like-minded people will motivate you to be consistent. You’re more likely to achieve the goals you set for yourself with positive social support. This study shows that physical activity is easier when you have a friend to exercise with!
Emotional support
Knowing that you have a social group who will help you emotionally is a great source of strength. Genuine emotional support helps you become more resilient in the face of challenges. Simply having an avenue to share feelings and challenges is helpful. You can rely on your social group to share and care for each other.
“Sometimes, simply the act of verbalizing our thoughts to a person we trust can make all the difference in how we deal with something. And just knowing that someone else is aware of what we are going through can provide a sense of relief and comfort.” – Salma Ladhani, MD
Celebrate each other
Rewards are a great way to reinforce a positive habit. When you are celebrated for achieving a goal or a checkpoint you have set out for yourself, it feels good. It’s even more magnified when you have a social group to celebrate with! This leads to a positive feedback loop which will help you achieve your goals.
“These days, we live in a world where we are constantly running from one task to the next without taking the time to pause and reflect on what exactly we are doing, how it went, how we or the people around us are feeling, or what things we did well and what we can improve for next time. We may miss recognizing crucial moments in the form of sound teamwork, accomplishments, and overcoming challenges. These victories—however big or small—need to be acknowledged as they not only bring people together, but make the work more meaningful and provide sustainable pacing for teams and groups in the future.” – Salma Ladhani, MD
Healthy competition
Who doesn’t enjoy some low stakes, harmless competition? Small incentives in the form of bragging rights can stimulate you in your goal. Cheering each other on as you compete in improving yourselves is a source of great satisfaction. Regardless of who wins, there is no loss—this is a win-win situation! Care must be taken to not get carried away by getting too competitive. It’s best to openly talk about the competition and feelings of the group beforehand.
About IshanIshan Dahal is the Osmosis Health and Wellness Coach. When he’s not working out with his Osmosis teammates or brushing up on health and wellness literature, he’s spending time with his family, going on long walks with an audio book, or contemplating what vegetables he will get next week.
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