John the Baptist (Matthew 3:4

Nakesha Fleming, LMSW, PCAT, BC-TMH

Spending time with others and connecting with our family and friends is beneficial to our overall social self-care. You may be wondering if you did not pick up the last edition of the paper what is social self-care? I am so glad you ask. Social selfcare simply involves our connections with other people. You may think between work and family that you have plenty of social interactions and connect with various people. If the truth is told, the daily busyness of our schedules can get in the way of us truly bonding with our friends and family.

Taking care of social needs can help you to build a network or support system of people who can pillar you in good and tough times. I want to give you some strategies for social self-care. Let's look at the list below: 1.Plan forface-to-face time: take time for intentional in-person time with friends and family members. If you still feel uncomfortable with meeting in person, wear a mask. 2. Make sure you are disconnecting: We live in a world where technology is at our fingertips. While it is a great resource to have, phones, television, instant messaging, etc. can get in the way of socializing. So, I encourage you today to take time and put the phones away, cut off the television, and connect with your friends and loved ones. 3.Schedule times to socialize: it may be good for you to schedule a time to socialize with friends and family. This will assure that you are getting time to connect with others. 4.Be aware of others: call and check on people. For some individuals, this comes naturally. For others, you may have to set a reminder. So, check on your neighbor, family, and friends. 5.Review yourrelationships: sometimes life happens, and we lose contact with others. It may be good to reconnect. Also, you may have a family member that is draining, emotionally or verbally abusive, etc. This may be an area where you need to create boundaries and create some healthy distance.

After reviewing the previous list, I have a question. How are your connections? Are you connecting to your loved ones and taking time to disconnect from social media? The pandemic showed us how we can take these opportunities with family and friends for granted. Also, do not be afraid to create boundaries. Some family and friend connections need to cease, or we need to create some healthy boundaries. Remember the goal is to be balanced. So go make connections. Whether it be old or new!