If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s how incredibly important our mental health is. For the past 2 years, we spent more time alone, isolated, plugged into tech and feeling a reduction in work/life balance. Our mental health and wellbeing suffered as we worked to navigate this new way of life. Now we are in our “new normal”, but still experiencing the effects the pandemic had on our mental health.
So, today in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month we’re talking about why community, coworking and connection are essential to improving your mental health and boosting productivity, success and happiness.
Community
Humans are relational beings. We aren’t meant to be alone, especially for long periods of time. Even us loner types need a sense of community and belonging to thrive. While social media can sort of help meet that need, it can’t replace the benefits of in-person gatherings.
For many of us the pandemic resulted in leaning into homebody life. It made the effort to attend in-person events a struggle. Even though we might feel the urge to stay home, the best thing for our mental health is to put the effort into building a community.
I’m personally the stay at home type. After spending most of my adult life running my gymmy evenings and weekends are now sacred. It takes a lot for me to attend events. I really have to be interested in the topic or concept to make the effort. The problem with this is I end up feeling disconnected and alone.
In an effort to find a sense of community (especially as someone new to the area), I decided I had to start getting out of the house. In the beginning of 2021 I attended my first Powered By Her lunch and instantly felt a sense of community and my loneliness decreased. I continued attending the monthly lunches and before I knew it, I was making connections. And 6 months later I was working for The Biz Foundry.
Community fulfills our need for dependence and cooperation. We work better together. Us humans need each other to survive the challenges of life and to share our joy and success.
Coworking
The idea of coworking might feel foreign to you, it definitely did to me. I wasn’t keen on the concept of sitting in a room at a big desk with a handful of people I didn’t know while I did work from my laptop. I’m definitely a “get in the zone” at my home office and get a bunch of stuff done type. But after spending 2 years working solely from home and basically disconnected from people, this weird coworking thing became more appealing to me.
So, when I started working for The Biz Foundry, I opted to cowork at the office 2 days a week. I couldn’t have predicted the benefits I’d gain from this work style. While I still love my “in the zone” work from home days, a few days a week in the office fulfills my need for community and connection. I’m definitely happier and my mental health has drastically improved.
Connection
Even if you are the independent type (me!), you’re still a human and we are all wired for connection. Not only can you achieve more with a team than you can alone, being connected to others reduces anxiety and depression, boosts self-esteem and even improves our immune systems.
While technology helps us stay connected, it still doesn’t replace face-to-face interactions. So whether you are an entrepreneur or remote work, definitely leverage things like Zoom, but don’t neglect the opportunities for in-person connections.
Find Your People And Place
Finding a community, especially as an adult, isn’t always easy. Church, gyms, sports and hobbies can definitely be opportunities to find your people, but if you are also searching for professional connections that’s where we come in!
The Biz Foundry is here to help you grow personally and professionally. We want you to feel connected not only to the resources you need to succeed, but also to the people that can boost your mental wellbeing and possibly provide you with opportunities to take your business or career to the next level.
We invite you to attend one of our upcoming events, book a coaching session with a business advisor or try this coworking thing. Let’s build a community and connections so together we can achieve more and be happy, healthy humans.
