Our next segment of the Evening of Wellbeing series will be on the ways in which involvement in community impacts our health and happiness. It will be on April 27th from 6-8 at the Guilford College Alumni House.
Each of Evening of Wellbeing focuses on a theme relevant to all of us and we have a small panel of individuals whose work in the community relates to the topic, helping to initiate conversations for participants. This series is a way for us to show our commitment to promoting a healthier Greensboro, emphasizing the link we see between community health and individual health.
At Sustainable Health Choices, we believe that community is essential to our health and wellbeing for many reasons. Its not uncommon for people to feel isolated with overwhelming health issues in the midst of high insurance premiums and a struggling economy. When we’re overwhelmed we tend to have a physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual reaction. The impact of this response on us can be small or great which has to do with our inner reserves, the practices that keep us balanced, and the community of people that we look to for support and anchoring.
For instance, studies show that there tends to be lower rates of suicide in more dense populations and with people who have strong social networks. Blood pressure lowers when we exercise, but many times we want to find a friend who wants to walk with us. How can we create a community where people don’t feel isolated and can reach out? How does our health change (physically, spiritually, and emotionally) when we can find someone else who is struggling with similar things?
But community isn’t just about having people around you. It’s also about having people to grow with. This can take form in building community across difference. This builds relationships which in turn builds trust and understanding of why difference exists.
Examples abound of the power of collective action of individuals that make changes to create a more equitable, fair, and healthy community. One can argue a good case, that as a human being we are social creatures and we need one another. Our health depends on it!
