There are so many ways to de-stress, but socialization being one of them is something we do not even need to learn.
We are social beings, and it has been proven that enjoying other people’s company is a way of maintaining a connection with others, and it is an important part of stress reduction.
For some of us even simple act like chatting online, calling a friend on the phone, or hanging out with family or friends is all it takes to make us feel much better and more relaxed and at peace with yourself and the environment.
Socialization decreases a sense of loneliness, and at the same time promotes feelings of safety, being understood and valued and additionally brings us enjoyment.
According to some experts, it seems that social support affects our balance of hormones, and mainly increases the levels of oxytocin (the happy hormone).
Elevated levels of oxytocin are associated with the decrease of anxiety levels and stimulate the calming responses.
Oxytocin additionally boosts our desire to seek out social contact and increases our sense of attachment to people who are important to us, thus continuing the positive cycle of social support.
Stressed people who have adequate levels of social support receive almost regular oxytocin boost, which helps them to feel more confident in their ability to cope with stress.
In addition, spending time with others directs our energy and focus outward, in other words if you are focused on reaching out to other people, you are temporarily distracted from your own circumstances or stress levels.
People who reach out to others and are socially connected feel wanted, included, and cared for. When those individuals talk through their problems and share feelings with others, what they do is basically decreasing their stress levels.
Time spent socializing in most cases can increase your mood, but we must keep in mind that quality, rather than quantity counts when it comes to interpersonal relationships.
For example, if you surround yourself with a large number of people that you don’t know very well it could be less effective than having only few close friends when it comes to reducing stress levels.
But in terms of beneficial effects of socializing it is not enough to just establish relationships, but maybe even more important is to devote some time cultivating them.
And it is very important to remember not to be selfish, because reciprocity is essential to maintaining any relationships healthy. You need to keep a balance between listening and being listened to, supporting another while being supported, comforting the other while being comforted etc.
Some of us are extroverts and socializing can come naturally to most of us, but for those who struggle with other people, here are some strategies that can be used to increase socialization:
- Initiate planned interactions with people. Call them instead of waiting to be called, invite them over, have a party, go for a walk together, have a dinner out, possibilities are endless once you have an intention set.
- Introduce yourself to neighbors and other people you come into contact with frequently and make new acquaintances.
- Join groups or clubs which cover some topic that is interesting for you too.
Socializing is important, no doubts about that, but to ensure that socialization serves us as a stress reducing, rather than a stress inducing experience, we must discern well between people and choose to work on maintaining healthy and long-lasting relationships only with those whose presence affects us positively.
On the other hand, if some people drain your energy, or start to make unreasonable demands upon your time, it is ok to say no to them or set healthy boundaries in such types of relationships.