Making friends can be difficult, especially during these uncertain times. Having a healthy and strong support system is essential to your mental and physical health. The more support you have, the more active you will be and the less lonely you will feel.
Many forms of social support can be valuable tools in coping with difficulties, stress, and depression.
At BOLD Health, we provide depression therapy in San Diego and become a solid member of your support system to guide you to healthier, happier mental well-being.
Different Forms of Support Systems
Strong support systems come in many forms; connecting with as many as possible is wise. Before you can understand the different forms of support systems, you must also understand the importance of a support system. You can gain valuable support in several ways, as the different people and networks available can play a different role in your recovery.
Many social networks can support you or a loved one if you are struggling with loneliness or depression. The support provided will also differ depending on your needs.
Support systems typically break down into two segments.
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Social support
This refers to social networking and resources that provide coping strategies for stress, loneliness, and depression. These resources benefit you both psychologically and materialistically. At BOLD Health, our depression therapy in San Diego and depression treatment fall into this category of social support.
Social support allows you to engage with people who provide empathy and concern when you are in need. This type of support can help you when you struggle to make decisions, causing you anxiety. It can also help you if you tend to make rash decisions that are fatal to your happiness.
Social support provides advice when you are in a tough place, including help with financial difficulties or aiding in daily tasks to keep you on the right path.
Social Integration
Social integration is the act of participating in social relationships. These include romantic relationships and friendships and involve a sense of belonging. Social integration support provides a safe place where you fit into different groups and have a sense of belonging with emotions and intimacy. It allows you to feel like you belong to a community, a family, a partnership, an activity, or any other social group you may think of.
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Examples of Strong Support Systems
Emotional support
Emotional support is vital to your mental well-being. It’s always essential to have certain people in your life that you can rely on for support emotionally. They could be family members, friends, acquaintances, colleagues, or therapists. These are people that are there for you when you need them most and are what add to the importance of a support system.
Who doesn’t need somebody to talk to when they’re upset? Who doesn’t need someone to have your back when you need support? This kind of support is vital when feeling lonely or stressed out.
Instrumental support
Instrumental support is when you have people around you who will help you when needed. Of course, this ties in with emotional support, but with instrumental support, you are provided with people who will go the extra mile.
This might mean bringing you soup when you’re sick or offering to walk your dog when working late. When you have immediate needs, like when you feel sick, it’s imperative to have someone there to lower your stress levels.
Informational support
Informational support comes from guidance, mentoring, advice, and information. You may need help understanding how the world works and clarification or guidance on why things are not going the way you planned.
You may only require some informational support for your strong support system. This kind of support is essential when making significant changes in your life. Making important decisions makes you who you are in the long run, and it’s vital to have someone give you the proper knowledge to guide you through the wilderness.
Not only will informational support provide you with quality life advice, but this will also help alleviate anxiety, stress, and even depression when facing tough decisions. You are not alone. With informational support, you can learn how to solve issues correctly and put your best foot forward when stepping into your future.
The Benefits of a Strong Support System
Having a strong support system is essential not only for your mental health but your physical health too. Here, you will fully understand the importance of a support system.
The benefits include the following:
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Dealing With Stress
When you are stressed out, what do you do? Do you spend time alone and fill yourself with anxiety and despair? Do you make unhealthy choices such as binge drinking or engaging in comfort food? Or do you handle life stressors in a way that benefits you mentally and physically?
Learning to deal with stress is crucial in depression treatment and depression therapy. Statistically, stress is linked to severe health conditions ranging from reduced immunity to heart disease. The more stressed you are mentally, the worse your physical health will be.
Studies have shown that having strong support systems reduces the symptoms related to trauma, depression, and other disorders developed over time. If you have solid support systems, you can cope with life stressors healthily and adapt to improve your life entirely.
Developing Healthy Behaviors and Choices
Healthy behaviors and choices lead to a happier and healthier life. Your whole existence will change positively with a strong support system. The people you surround yourself with will influence you your entire life. You may need more positive influences in your life. These positive influences can prevent you from making poor healthy eating, substance use, and exercise decisions.
Of course, social groups can also harm your behavior and choices, so always be aware of the company you keep!
For this reason alone, it’s vital to your health to create a positive, healthy social support network consciously. You want to surround yourself with people who love you, support you, and want to see you happy and succeed.
Improving Your Motivation
Last but not least, motivation comes into play. Do you feel that you need more motivation? Do you find yourself in situations like finishing work and avoiding going to that pickup basketball game you were invited to? Would you rather sit on the couch, eat a bag of chips, and binge-watch your favorite TV show for hours until it’s time to sleep?
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Once in a while, that’s okay. But a strong support system may be the answer if this sounds like you regularly. This is essential to the importance of a support system. If you’re trying to give up bad habits, connecting with others that will positively influence you will help you stay on course. Do you want to lose weight? Find people who want to work out, go to the gym, or play sports to keep you in shape. You will be amazed at how much they can help you.
While having strong social support systems is helpful during a crisis, keeping them around when times are good is also essential. They will help keep you stable, reduce your stress, and push you forward to creating a better life for yourself and your loved ones in the long run.
Friendships will improve your sense of self-worth, increase your sense of purpose, and build self-confidence when needed. Spending time with friends and family is always essential to your physical and mental well-being, but also remember to take time out to self-reflect, focus on your health, and become more productive.
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BOLD Health: High-Quality Depression Treatment in San Diego
At BOLD Health, we provide several depression therapy options for many mental health concerns. Our goal is to help you every step of the way, no matter your severity level or how long you’ve suffered with symptoms.
Our highly qualified team of clinicians focuses on helping you navigate your symptoms and will create the best possible depression treatment tailored to your needs.
Our options for depression treatment in San Diego include the following:
- individual therapy
- family therapy
- group therapy
- medication management
- online therapy
- intensive outpatient program (IOP in San Diego)
- ketamine treatment
At BOLD Health, we’re happy to help you, using the best possible depression treatment and depression therapy in San Diego. And if you are outside of Southern California, we also provide online depression treatment anywhere in California.
Remember, reaching out for help is not a sign of weakness. The opposite is true. Please, don’t let your depression run your life any more than it already has. Get the help you need and deserve. deserve.