Foundational to Social Work is human connection. Preferably positive human connection if we’re looking to do our jobs to the best of our ability. I read somewhere that self care is not selfish. And part of self care is positive social interactions with our coworkers and colleagues. If we are to perform to the best of our abilities and put our clients in the best situation to succeed, we must have positive social experiences which recharge our batteries preventing burnout and expensive agency churn.
Laughter often seems to get overlooked as a tool in our bucket of positive social interaction. At work we so often deal with serious, life and death, emotionally charged and mentally taxing situations that finding moments of pleasure and humor is incredibly beneficial. We know that laughter reduces stress, boosts the immune system, improves mood, increases happiness, enhances resilience, and heightens coping skills. When we laugh with (at) our coworkers, colleagues, friends, and family we create bonds and memories of shared experience that carry on helping us navigate the challenges of our chosen profession.
In addition to laughing every chance we get, another great outlet for positive social interaction is creative self expression. We spend our days listening to and supporting our clients, colleagues, agencies, and others. It’s important that we also identify spots for our own thoughts feelings, and experiences. Making space for our own creative activities provides a sense of accomplishment and opportunity to process complex emotions. It allows up to connect with ourselves and others on a deeper level. It’s a timeout from the cognitive demands our work thrusts on us. Creative self expression can be learning an instrument, joining a painting class, doing blackout poetry, or other creative writing exercises. These types of activities put us back in younger child like spirits and enhances our lives on the whole.
Some calls to action. Make a plan to schedule one non-negotiable positive social interaction weekly. Coffee date, craft class, game night, music lesson, whatever. Put it on you calendar and treat it just as you would an appointment with a client. We should regularly do this as a group as well. Attend a comedy show for a quarterly office outing or have everyone go to a cooking class. Doing these things together deepens connections and support of our peers.
Put yourself in a situation to laugh regularly. Some offices have created a “humor board” where colleagues post funny comics, memes, stories. Real life message board. Even something as small and simple as this can be a catalyst to create levity and change the entire feeling of an office space. It’s not all doom and gloom.
In our day to day work lives we’re experts at recognizing the importance of social support and positivity in our client’s lives. Now is the time to introduce this wisdom into our own lives. When we prioritize our own positive social interactions, make room for laughter, and engage creatively, our own well being is enhanced, and our job satisfaction is increased. When we make a point to do this, we’ll improve our work lives, our home lives, and provide better service to those we serve.
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