Active Aging
During the winter months, it’s natural for all animals (including humans!) to slow down and step back from social engagements and activities outside the home.
But as the weather starts to warm up again, it’s the perfect time to gradually ease back into a social routine that supports your overall mind and body wellness.
Why Socializing Is Crucial
Humans weren’t meant to be solitary creatures. Even though the colder months can bring more time for isolation and relaxation, that period is meant to be temporary.
Social Connections Keep Us Healthy
Spending time with loved ones and even acquaintances helps keep us healthy, especially as we age.
Research shows that positive relationships can help lower stress, improve mood, and provide motivation and meaning to our daily lives. One study shows that being chronically lonely can be as detrimental to your health as chronic smoking.
Which Relationships “Count”
The great news is that any social relationship can help keep your loneliness at bay and your health on the right track. Close family relationships are wonderful, but they aren’t the only fulfilling ones. Social relationships that provide these key things all help keep your mind and body healthy as you age:
- A reason to get up in the morning
- Shared interests, big or small
- A feeling of belonging and purpose
- A sense of mutual trust (even if it’s just about the small things)
The friendly couple you see at the park every Thursday for a quick chat about the weather can make a difference in your life alongside your lifelong friends and family.
How to Ease Back into Socializing
After a more solitary winter, easing back into a busier social life is important. Rushing to add too many activities to your calendar can feel overwhelming and increase the stress that socializing is meant to reduce!
Here are a few tips for making the transition feel natural:
- Start small and close to home so that transportation logistics don’t add to the stress.
- Incorporate other feel-good elements into the socializing, such as gentle body movement like walking, cooking a favorite meal, and spending time in nature.
- Keep groups small to start; plan your socializing for times when public areas aren’t as crowded.
- Commit to a time and place from the beginning rather than saying “soon.”
- Invite a close friend or family member along! Having a buddy can make new social outings more enjoyable.
Activities for Simple Socializing
These activities will make it easier to ease back into your socializing routine. Remember that you can try these with people you already know, or take a leap and go alone to meet new friends who enjoy similar things!
Volunteering
Choosing to be a volunteer is great for your well-being in many ways, but the socialization aspect is enormous.
Volunteering can make it easier to form new relationships because you’re committed to a cause greater than yourself. The weekly or monthly appointment is scheduled on your calendar, so you don’t have to plan when to attend.
Choose a volunteer spot that involves activities you enjoy: The library, botanic gardens, and museums always need new volunteers, especially as summer programs gear up.
Walking Groups
Combining socializing with physical activity gives you double the wellness benefits! Walking with a group offers companionship and added safety. Look for flyers at local parks and libraries that advertise walking clubs. If you don’t see one, start one yourself! Find a group that matches your desired pace and distance so that you don’t feel stressed.
Lectures and Concerts
Socializing doesn’t require you to actively talk the whole time. Attending concerts or lectures is a great way to ease into a busier schedule without having to carry the burden of conversation.
You’ll be in a room with others who enjoy the same topic or artist, but you won’t be required to generate content and conversation most of the time. Being in public around other humans reminds us that we’re not alone, even if we don’t strike up a single conversation.
These simple ways to ease back into socialization don’t have to take up your whole calendar this spring, but they can help get you ready for longer, warmer days ahead with friends and family.
