Social Wellness

• 5 Ways to Reduce Loneliness and Increase Connection

  Learn some tips to help reduce loneliness and increase connection.

• How You Can Help Older Adults Stay Connected

  Learn ways to help older adults stay socially connected.

• How to Stay Connected When You're Apart

  Find ways to stay connected when you can't be together.

• Importance of Personal Relationships for Lowering Stress

  Developing and nurturing your personal relationships can help you lower your stress level. The following suggestions can benefit both your relationships and your mental health: Visit with friends and family. Take time to make a phone call, send an email, or write a quick note. Make "date" time with your spouse, even...

• Quit Smoking: Keep Your Social Life

  Hear how four people kept their friends and sense of self when they quit smoking.

• Depression: Social Support and Recovery

  See how family and friends helped three people cope with depression.

• Helping a Family Member Who Has PTSD

  Covers how you can help a family member who has post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Includes dealing with anger or violent behavior. Looks at how to communicate better. Covers how to take care of yourself and how to get support from others.

• Support for Staying Active

  Learn how to connect with others and find support to achieve your goals.

• Simple Ways to Connect With Others and Reduce Loneliness

  Get ideas for increasing social connection and reducing feelings of loneliness.

• Getting Help When You Leave the Hospital

  Learn why making a plan for getting help when you leave the hospital will help you heal.

• Heart Failure: How Support Can Help

  Learn how to reach out to friends and loved ones for support.

• Quit Smoking: How to Tell Your Friends

  Practice talking to your smoking friends about your decision to quit.

• A Good Support System Is Important

  Learn how to connect with family, friends, and others for support with health issues.

• Quitting Smoking: How Family and Friends Can Help

  You can gently encourage someone who smokes to quit. Think of your comments about smoking as only one event that moves that person toward quitting. Start any discussion of quitting in a gentle way. Let the person know why you want him or her to...

• Helping a Loved One After Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery

  People in recovery from coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery may need assistance from family members and friends in a variety of ways. You may help your loved one for several weeks during recovery with a number of tasks, including shopping, cleaning, and driving. You can also help support your loved one in making...

• Support Groups and Social Support

  Health problems like cancer or heart disease and mental health problems like substance use disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have an emotional side. And the same is true for certain life events, like being a parent or caring for...

• Depression: Supporting Someone Who Is Depressed

  If someone you care about has been diagnosed with depression, you may feel helpless. Maybe you're watching a once-vibrant person slide into inactivity or seeing a good friend lose interest in activities that he or she used to enjoy. The change in your loved one's or friend's behavior may be so great that you feel you no...

• Healthy Eating: Getting Support When Changing Your Eating Habits

  So you've decided to change your eating habits. Great! Have you thought about getting support in making this change? Having the support of people close to you is an important part of change. It doesn't matter if you're changing a job, a routine, or...

• Quitting Smoking: Getting Support

  You've made a big decision. You're going to quit smoking. Quitting is hard, and you probably know this. Maybe you've quit before. If so, that's normal. Most people quit many times. What can you do to make it more likely that you'll kick the habit for good? One important part of quitting smoking is getting help from...

• Quitting Smoking: Helping Someone Quit

  Your partner or friend has decided it's time to quit smoking. This is great news. You're excited, and you want to help. But you don't want your partner or friend to feel that you're coming on too strong or that you're "checking up" on him or her. This Actionset will give you tips on helping someone who is trying to...

• Susan's Story: A Friend Really Helps

  Susan's depression started in college. "I was a kid, and I had really bad self-esteem issues. I was making dumb choices," she says. Now Susan is 43, married, and a mother of four. Over the years, her depression has changed. Sometimes, it's felt as if hard times have brought it on. At other points in her life, the...