The Power of Community

When we identify in ourselves that our mental health is suffering, some of us might choose to hide away. We can find we are sleeping more, want to do less and sometimes feel we don’t have anything to offer others in terms of conversation or companionship.

The Mental Health Foundation’s focus for this week is around celebrating community, looking at how it supports our mental health and wellbeing.
So how can our community support us when we are struggling and how can you find the right community for you?

We’ve all heard the phrase ‘it takes a village’ and it often does to help you achieve what you want to achieve whether that’s a life goal or helping you get back to yourself. When we are struggling a community can provide that necessary sense of belonging.

There are a number of reasons why it’s considered important not to go it alone and to seek out the right community for you. Communities can provide us with support, belief and a listening ear. Some days might just seem impossible, you just want to give up, this is when can lean on your community the most. They believe in you—probably more than you believe in yourself. When your community listens, they can provide you with collective wisdom, a different perspective, or even just the opportunity to get your thoughts out of your head and into the fresh air. Being part of a community, seeing how others have coped in similar situations can bring you fresh ideas on what the try next or what hasn’t worked for others, our divergent world views and lenses mean that we all approach the exact same problem slightly differently. Even on those days when your belief in yourself isn’t waning, doing what needs to get done can seem overwhelming. Look around your community for inspiration. It can often feel easier to give up when things get hard. By surrounding yourself with others working toward a similar goal, to struggling with the same concerns as you, you can get motivation, support, and friendly competition to push yourself just a wee bit further than you would have done on your own. There’s nothing like having to be accountable to others to up your game.

For some this community will be family, for others it might be a group of long-standing friends, or a group of people who have come together because of mutual interests or experiences. Wherever your community comes from and whoever is involved in it, it will provide you with a sense of belonging that is vital for your psychological well-being along with a sense of belonging, support, and identity.

If you are lucky enough to have a supportive family or set of friends your community is right there for you, reach out to them, talk to them about what’s going on for you and what you might need from them to help you.

If you don’t have this natural support in your life or your experience is so different from loved ones that you need to be around others who have had that same experience as you then there are lots of charities that offers opportunities for like minded people to come together and support each other. You can find this in communities that provide grief support, disability groups, and mental health group activities, ill health support online forums, as a few examples. So, if you are struggling at the moment, find your community, your people and reach out for the support you need.