social wellness

RELATIONSHIPS, PART ONE - HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS – Threshold of Brilliance – Episode 15: 

Outline & Show Notes:

Today we begin a 2 episode segment on Relationships, because relationships are the most important part of life. They can provide us with love, support, and a sense of belonging. Or they can bring disrespect, emotional abuse, anxiety, and insecurity. And both sides always seem to be intertwined.

Overall, relationships are essential for our mental, physical, and emotional well-being. Today we will cover creating the healthy side of relationships, and next session, we one will cover the unhealthy side of relationship and how to repair them.

Healthy, or unhealthy, a relationship is like a house. Sooner or later it will need repairs, you gotta work at it, and they can be hard work!

QUESTIONS:

1.     What are some things to help build successful relationships?

2.    What about love languages? Does knowing and supporting your partner’s love language help?

3.     What are some questions that can help you get to know your partner better?

4.     What is social wellness and why is it important?

SHOW NOTES:

The 4 Habits of ALL Successful Relationships – Dr. Andrea & Jonathan Taylor-Cummings – TedX

1.     Be Curious, Not Critcal

2.     Be Careful, Not Crushing

3.     Ask, Don’t Assume

4.     Connect BEFORE You Correct

Two critical behaviors required for any relationship to be successful are LISTENING and SUPPORT – You don’t need to fall in love first, to have a great relationship, first you need to listen, then you need to support – John

Listening is NOT waiting for an opening for you to say your ‘piece’ – John

50% of our perceptions and our memories are not the truth – Brad

Asking questions creates another opportunity to listen – John

The hardest skill in most relationships is to ask the questions in order to listen more – Brad

Relationships are NEVER 50/50 – Author Brené Brown

Love Languages Quiz:

1.     Affirmation

2.     Quality Time

3.     Physical Touch

4.     Acts of Service

5.     Receiving Gifts

You need to understand the other person’s love language and make sure you are supporting them – Brad

Both partners have to understand the other’s love language, and support respect each other there, for any relationship to be successful. That is where love is expressed – John

154 Best Relationship Questions to Ask Your Partner

Every ‘age’ you go through, there are questions to be asking about your relationship – Brad

Ask open ended questions, then really listen to the answers they disclose – Brad

Ask questions, and listen, with an attitude of joy in the relationship to really enhance your relationship – John

The 3 highest vibrational frequencies – energies – that operate in humans are Peace, Joy and Love: The Vibrational Frequencies of the Human Body

If you come across from a frequency of Peace, Joy or Love, you cannot be in a combative state – Brad

Social Wellness – Whether you are introverted, or extroverted, you still need relationships – Brad

Social Wellness is one of ‘8 Dimensions of Wellness’

Lack of Social Wellness is often why business, and relationships, fail – Brad

Social Wellness is a sense of connection and belonging – Brad

When we take steps to improve our Social Wellness, we are taking steps that improve our mental health, physical health, and overall quality of life – Brad

Courtesy of Era Living, Julia Goldie shares success stories as new residents settle into their new circumstances. Julia and Suzanne are discussing Social and Occupational Wellness, part of the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. Seth is a social wellness expert, a licensed mental health. Julia Goldie is Life Enrichment Director at Era Living's Aljoya Thornton Place in Seattle, Washington.

Julia says, "I have one resident, she was a little bit on the younger side, and was kind of hesitant to move in at first, and has her own group of friends, and she was an introvert. But once she moved in, she found that she had a whole new new community of peers that she really just immersed herself with. And the change that I saw over the course of a month, where she thought she were going to stay kind of private, but now attends most dinners with the other residents, and goes on tons of outings. One of my favorite outings with her was to the Reptile Museum. You could pay $3 extra — and a whole bunch of our residents did it — and I look over, and there's this snake crawling on her arm. And she says, 'I'm taking pictures so we can send it to all of our friends.'

"We have a great community of artists here. We have a lot of people who dabble in it as interests or hobbies, and then there's the people who don't. And one of our newest residents said, "I'm not an artist. No, I don't do anything having to do with art." Well, a couple of the residents convinced her to come to one of the group art sessions. They are made for all groups, all skill levels, and she came in and she's like, "what do I do?" I said, 'It's gonna be really easy.' I explained the steps, and it was guided step by step. Draw a pattern, draw this. She left there with the biggest smile on her face. She says, 'I'm gonna come to every single one of these. I had an artist locked in me.'"

Hear more:
Social Wellness episodes: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/social-wellness/
Occupational Wellness episodes: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/occupational-wellness/
Era Living episodes: https://answersforelders.com/era-living/

Learn more about:
Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/
Humana: https://www.humana.com/
Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/.
Era Living at Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/era-living/
Era Living's website: https://www.eraliving.com/
Aljoya Thornton Place: http://www.eraliving.com/communities/north-seattle/

Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Courtesy of Era Living, Julia Goldie and Seth Hutchins join Suzanne to talk about Social and Occupational Wellness, part of the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. Seth is a social wellness expert, a licensed mental health therapist in the state of Washington, and Julia is Life Enrichment Director at Era Living's Aljoya Thornton Place in Seattle.

In this segment, Julia and Seth address concerns for helping isolated or depressed seniors adapt as they transition to a senior living environment. Every situation is different, but often it's common that they're moving during a major life transition in overwhelming circumstances. Seth says, "We try to be very aware of that, and very sensitive to that. I think that residents are impressed when they find that there is a staff member onsite who is a licensed social worker or therapist. It's a really unique characteristic of Era Living. Obviously they really value mental health; it's important."

Julia adds, "We sit down with every single resident when they first move in. We do an interest portfolio on them. We ask about their background: where they lived, what their hobbies are, what they did for volunteer work, you name it. And if they were married, if they have children, things like that. We do it in a very casual conversational way, so that we get to know them, and then we also give them the opportunity to know us. We look at what their interests are and then we literally go through our activities and find out what points of interest they have. And we explain that more, and we explain which people they can find in those activities. They might have already started establishing some friendships. It's like, hey, there's a bridge game. You love to pray a bridge, and we need a fourth person. All of a sudden you feel that connection. 

"And from there, we are able to kind of take a look and create an individualized kind of plan for them moving forward, and let them know that we're here for them. If they have questions as they get more situated, but it is very individualized. It has to be. And that is where we find the most success in that one-on-one relationship early on."

Hear more:
Social Wellness episodes: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/social-wellness/
Occupational Wellness episodes: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/occupational-wellness/
Era Living episodes: https://answersforelders.com/era-living/

Learn more about:
Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/
Humana: https://www.humana.com/
Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/.
Era Living at Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/era-living/
Era Living's website: https://www.eraliving.com/
Aljoya Thornton Place: http://www.eraliving.com/communities/north-seattle/

Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Courtesy of Era Living, Seth Hutchins joins Suzanne to talk about Social Wellness, part of the Vitality Revolution podcast series sponsored by Humana. Seth is a social wellness expert, a licensed mental health therapist in the state of Washington working in community mental health, private practice, and senior residents at Era Living retirement communities.

Seth defines social wellness holistically. "Every person might define social wellness differently. Some people are more geared toward being more extroverted, being out in the community and participating, while others may not be wired that particular way. To define what it means for a person, you really have to talk to them, define what it is for them that makes them feel included and supported, and ultimately what makes them thrive."

Most residents moving into senior living are experiencing massive upheavals in their lives, perhaps selling homes that they've lived in for decades. You're having to make a lot of changes in your life as well as taking in a lot of new information, getting settled in, unpacking, meeting residents and staff. Seth guides them, meeting them when they first move in, talk about where they are, talk about his role as a counselor and reassure them they're not alone in this process.

Era Living embraces new residents with ambassadors in their communities, a resident-led welcoming committee. Seth says, "Having residents reach out can provide that special touch, and make them feel more included, provides a hand-on approach."

Hear more:
Social Wellness episodes: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/social-wellness/.
Era Living episodes: https://answersforelders.com/era-living/

Learn more about:
Vitality Revolution podcast series: https://answersforelders.com/vitality-revolution/
Humana: https://www.humana.com/
Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/welcome-to-answers-for-elders/.
Era Living at Answers for Elders: https://answersforelders.com/era-living/
Era Living's website: https://www.eraliving.com/

Answers for Elders is part of the SeniorResource Network: https://www.seniorresource.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonya Hilson at CarePartners Living joins Suzanne talk about senior wellness and how the senior living world keeps ourselves grounded in the best quality of life. This segment focuses on social community, our ability to connect with others. Tonya is a Community Relations Director for CarePartners Living.

Tonya says, "One of the things people ask about is that their mom is used to staying at home; will she be able to adapt to this new environment? They will meet new friends, we encourage that. Whether that means making sure she's available for an activity that's happening in the morning, or the afternoon, we just want her to be a part of it. It's so important — they look forward to it. Our residents look forward to the socialization, the activities, even meal times. You're not at home eating alone any more, you're at the table with friends."

CarePartners Living currently has a move-in special that waives up to $2,000 in charges, based on your spend-down. They're encouraging families to try them out. With respite care, you can stay anywhere from 2-3 days to 2-3 weeks at a flat, daily rate. If you're on the fence, but you want to try it, give Venitia a call at 425-919-4006, or visit the CarePartners Living website.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains some sensitive topics around the loss of a parent.

Today I’m with my dear friend, Lizzie Braicks-Rinker, a wellness brand strategist and holistic health and fitness coach.

We met in college, baking pie in the dorm basement, and bonded quickly; I told Lizzie my mom had passed away. She told me hers had cancer. We were at different stages in our lives than our peers, and because of this, had different needs and perspectives on wellness than they did, too.

In 2022, Lizzie gave a TED Talk on Mother’s Day about the difference between wellness and physical health. Her beliefs stemmed from her experience in college, when, on paper, she was extremely healthy – she was vegan, she was on the rowing team – and yet, she was having panic attacks and chronic pain due to the wellness pieces that were missing in her life.

In this episode, Lizzie and I talk a lot about holistic wellness – especially social wellness, of course – and how, really, there is no one-size-fits-all recipe.

In this episode you’ll hear about:

• The eight pillars of holistic wellness (emotional, physical, occupational, social, spiritual, intellectual, environmental, financial) vs. the wellness industrial complex
• How self-care looks different for everybody – it could involve playing with your dogs, getting your finances in order, or building a community support system
• Why social wellness is often left off the priority list of wellness
• How health (especially social health) – doesn’t have to be linear; for example, your social needs might be higher in the summer than they are in the winter
• Creating the “third option” instead of accepting social obligations you’re just not into – or, creating INTENTION in these obligations so they feel fulfilling to you
• Who is your true self vs. your ideal self? Plus, the importance of taking baby steps

Resources & Links

Like what you hear? Visit my website, leave me a voicemail, and follow me on Instagram!

Be sure to check out Lizzie’s TED Talk and the book she recommended in this episode, The Worthy Project by Meadow DeVor, and follow her on Instagram and check out her website.

Want to take this conversation a step further? Send this episode to a friend. Tell them you found it interesting and use what we just talked about as a conversation starter the next time you and your friend hang out!

Did you catch it this morning? Monday Morning Standup! 5 minutes of leadership training to start your week off right and potentially give you something to make you a more effective leader.

Topic: Workplace Wellness Recap

We are wrapping up our series on Workplace Wellness. We walked through the five areas of workplace wellness and how they affect your organization.

Career, Social, Financial, Physical & Community. Take some time and look at your organization. What does the wellness program look like? How can you make something good great? 

The Docs always say "health begins at home", but beyond personal responsibility our health is impacted by other factors of our environment known as the Social Determinants of Health. What are they? Why do they matter? And how do they contribute to health disparities? How do they impact cancer outcomes?

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines Social Determinants of Health as the non-medical factors that influence health outcomes; simply put the circumstances in which we live work and play. These generally fall within these 5 categories:

• Economic Stability.
• Education Access and Quality.
• Health Care Access and Quality.
• Neighborhood and Built Environment.
• Social and Community Context.

Each of these categories can have a significant impact on the quality of healthcare an individual, family, or community has access to. We touch on several of these in previous episodes. For example, we mentioned in "Cervical Monologues" that there are areas where there is a lack of gynecologists in certain areas. Lack of physicians means less opportunity for treatment, and often people just go untreated rather than invest additional energy into finding a provider. In "Inequity By Design", we discuss how neighborhoods that are built in certain low-income areas deemed "ghettos" were actually designed without greenery which has actually led to higher incidences of asthma and other respiratory disorders. 

All of these factors combine to create a holistic view of health - and health barriers - for an individual. Taking these into account can help providers, policy makers, and teachers make informed decisions about how best to treat or aid individuals.

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Dr. Karen Winkfield

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Dr. Zanetta Lamar

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