It takes a village to keep us holistically healthy. We often talk about the importance of community and social support in the context of our mental and emotional well-being. But surrounding yourself with friends, community and just people who care can also have a direct effect on your physical well-being.
In this upcoming burst of seasonal and political change, consider ways to support the well-being of others as well as the community, as a resource for your own health.
Saving lives can be shockingly easy. Many different conditions require blood or platelet transfusions as part of the course of treatment. Your cherry-colored life liquid can be used to combat emergency situations as well as chronic conditions. Donate through the UNC Health Care Blood Donation Center.
Register to be on the bone marrow transplant registry through Be The Match. Bone marrow transplants require that the recipient and the donor are genetically similar. People who are non-white, especially those of mixed race, often struggle to find matches in the bone marrow registry. According to Be The Match, white patients have a 97 percent chance of finding a match, compared to a 66 percent chance for African-American patients. The odds are even lower for mixed race patients. Join their registry — there is only a 1 in 540 chance that you will be called. While the policies that dictate our health are on the brink of upheaval, individuals should do what we can to support each others’ bodies. It’s a lot easier to make big change when we are healthy.
In addition to fueling the health of others, keep your own health in mind by drawing on the groups, friends and family members that make you happy and have your back. Evidence shows that social support is positively related to well-being. The effects of social support and happiness are most obvious in high-stakes environments such as hospitals — patients who are engaged and well-supported often fare better than those with relatively low levels of social support. These ideas are well-supported by evidence-based research. One particular model focuses on the ways social support protects us from the harmful effects of stress. This model, referred to as the Buffering Model, portrays social support as a mediator to the ways our bodies respond to stress. Additionally, it suggests that social support prevents us from experiencing stress to the same degree — we are more likely to deconstruct a situation rather than react to it. Since stress can take a toll on the biological systems that govern our body, social support can protect and bolster our health.
These lessons translate beyond hospital settings to our daily lives. Working in a university setting is a perfect storm for stress. Unlike many nine-to-five jobs, the work of students and teachers comes in bursts.
Under the pressure of grades and time constraints, we go into “crisis mode.” We easily fall into unhealthy behaviors that are subtly encouraged. Cliches such as studying all night and subsisting on only ramen are endemic to our idea of what it means to work hard. Suggesting a night in with friends often is preceded by “I know I’m being lame but...”
