A Different Sort of Gym

 I started going to the gym over 12 months ago with a specific goal in mind. I wanted to train to run a marathon, and I had four months to complete that goal. I did end up meeting my goal and, with it, fulfilled the commitment I had made to myself. Yet I found myself continuing to show up at the gym and continuing to train. Why?

Well, my goals are a bit bigger now. Yes, I wanted to finish that race I signed up for. But, I also want to be able to carry my groceries into the house in one trip. So, I lift weights to build strength. I want to be able to put on my pants without falling over, an ever-increasing challenge as I age. So, I practice yoga. I want to be able to walk and play with my kids, and nieces and nephews when they ask me to join them. So, I include cardio workouts at the gym to build endurance. I have recognized that if I want to physically live my life to the fullest now and in the future, I need to practice those skills not just once but repeatedly. So I keep showing up.

When our society talks about health, Physical Health and Mental Health get a lot of airtime, but there is another kind of health that is just beginning to get recognition: Social Health.  According to Someone To Tell It To’s recent podcast guest, Kasley Killam, MPH, 

“Social health is the dimension of well-being that comes from connection and community. Whereas physical health is about our bodies and mental health is about our minds, social health is about our relationships.”

And, according to a decades-long study, Harvard Researchers found that the quality of our relationships is the single most important factor in determining our capacity to live a long, happy, and healthy life! Life is richer, healthier, and brighter when it is shared with others in supportive, caring relationships. 

Fortunately, for us, Kasley Killam says that we can absolutely learn to build and strengthen our social health muscles!

This is exactly what Someone To Tell It To is for many people - a gym for keeping our Social Health in tip-top shape, a SOCIAL gym that serves as a community of people focused on promoting strong relationships, community, and belonging through listening training, podcasts, social media posts, books, and blogs. And, a SOCIAL gym which provides strong relationships, community, and belonging through listening connections, gatherings, and events. 

At my PHYSICAL gym, I’ve gotten to know Erica, who works at the front desk. She greets me by name when I arrive, wishes me a good day when I leave, and asks if she’ll see me tomorrow. I ask her how her coursework is going and what she has planned with her kids over the weekend. I’ve also met Ana, who works as a floor attendant. She knows the date of my next race and whether I’ve arrived earlier or later than usual. Through our daily conversations, I know that she took a personal day recently to sit with a friend who lost a child. Those are just two of the quality humans that wait for me at my PHYSICAL gym. 

When you come and hang out in the Someone To Tell It To community, you’ll find people who call you by name, people who care about your plans, your hopes, and your future. These are people who help you experience what it feels like to belong and what it means to be in community and build strong relationships with others. They are well-trained to do these tasks, and they choose to work/volunteer at this SOCIAL gym because this work brings them joy. Because of them, it is a great place for you to work out the social muscles and clarify or refine your mental world as you work out and talk through all the events of your life. Beyond that, there are special events and available training to learn new skills and new ways of navigating the unexpected in your life’s path.

I think Erica and Ana are two of the reasons that I find myself in the PHYSICAL gym so often. They remind me every day what my purpose is for showing up and make me feel like I belong. Our Someone To Tell It To community members are the Ericas and the Anas of the STTIT Social Health Gym! This community is what we need to be our best selves!