Social Wellness Month is an annual event that occurs during the month of July and serves to encourage everyone to nurture social relationships.

“(Last year) and much of 2021 were pretty tough when it came to enjoying social relationships,” says Briana Watkins, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for M.D. Science Lab. “It’s important that people have a strong network to help them manage stress. Plus, having a social support group can be helpful in maintaining a healthy life.”

While Swiss Navy’s team planned weekly video calls to stay connected over the past year, they also knew it was important to reach out to their industry family to check on their wellness.

“At Swiss Navy we strive to build healthy relationships with everyone in our industry,” says Watkins. “Even though July is celebrated as social wellness month, over the past year we made sure to regularly call our industry friends and family to make sure they were okay and to see how we could help each other.”

Research has found isolation can impact health and that a healthy social life can enhance the immune system’s ability to fight off infectious disease—which makes social connection key during our ongoing pandemic.

“Social wellness month serves to remind all of us that healthy relationships are an important component of physical and mental wellbeing,” says Dr. Sunny Rodgers, M.D. Science Lab’s Intimate Health Advisor. “Humans are not meant to be solitary. We encourage everyone to practice social wellness by making positive connections with friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors.”

To help inspire your social wellness throughout the year, the National Institutes of Health has created an online Social Wellness Toolkit to help people build support systems. Please visit nih.gov/health-information/social-wellness-toolkit to learn more. And use the hashtag #WellnessWednesdays to share your own tips on social wellness.