Community: Mental Health Benefits and How to Find It ~ Happy Pride :)
Jessica Chang, MHC-LP
Community is more than a group of people in proximity - it is a shared feeling of connectedness. This sense of community comes with great benefits for one’s mental health, which by now has been well-researched. For example, individuals’ feeling of community is associated with lessened symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress (Park et al., 2023), and it can also preemptively prevent conditions of many mental illnesses (Gilbert, 2019).
Being in community provides various elements that are critical to mental health such as the following:
Belonging - Being amongst like-minded people add to feelings of acceptance. The strongest communities are built around authenticity and embrace each member’s true self. As social beings, humans are not meant to live in isolation. Without feelings of belonging, it is common to experience loneliness, which is strongly associated with a plethora of negative mental health symptoms.
Support - Knowing there are people who have your back and trusting that you can rely on them in times of need fosters a sense of being cared for and knowing that your needs will be met, even when you are unable to fulfill them on your own. This directly impacts one’s mindset and benefits one’s outlook on life.
Safety - Being in community with people you trust also creates a sense of safety, psychologically and physically. This sense of psychological and physical safety contributes to a stronger sense of self-worth, identity, and respect. When one feels safe within their community, they are able to take more risks, make mistakes, and grow. Individuals may also feel a sense of confidence which will allow them to grow outside of their community as well.
Purpose - Each person has a role they fulfill within a community which betters each other’s lives while strengthening the community as a whole. This sense of purpose through helping others helps give meaning to life and may further foster a sense of gratitude, which is associated with happiness and other mental health benefits.
How to Find Your Community
Acknowledging the importance of community is one thing, but feeling like you belong within a community is another. Living in New York City, despite the abundance of people and social clubs for seemingly anything one can think of, it can still be difficult to find a sense of community and belonging. Sure, many factors influence accessibility to community events such as geographical location and schedule-alignment, which are valid obstacles in finding community. However, if you are feeling discontent with your feelings of community, it may be worth asking yourself and being honest with the question: Am I doing what I can to make this happen for myself?
Here are some ways to start digging deeper with the above question as a person of intersectional marginalized identities ~
1. Examine the roles you tend to take on - are you allowing yourself to be part of a community?
You may have been taught and/or learned that safety is not found outside of yourself. This may manifest through hyperindependent qualities or constant leadership roles that allow you a sense of being in control. Community requires mutual trust and reliance. To experience these benefits, you may need to try out a different role than you are used to. This may sound scary and take practice, but it could also unlock these community benefits that may help you thrive.
2. Think about how you are showing up around others - are you being authentically yourself or are you catering towards others and what you think they may want while wondering why you are struggling to find those you relate to?
Sometimes we hope that others may reveal their inner selves before we show any parts of ourselves. We have seen and experienced the dangers of showing up authentically in certain spaces that are not always overtly hostile at first glance. It feels safer to lay low and observe, possibly testing others to see if they pass or fail. It is a skillful approach and one that may involve recognizing the wants and needs of others before your own and before they know for themselves, but it may also be inhibiting towards forming your own sense of community. What if everyone shows up with that similar mindset? It may be worthwhile to practice showing up as yourself, for yourself, in order to find your people.
3. Values, beliefs, and interests - Are you being honest with your priorities and do you understand where your prioritization hierarchy is coming from?
A common guideline for finding community is searching for those who share similar values, beliefs, and/or interests. However, if you are experiencing dissonance with your own values, beliefs, and interests or in your own priorities, a sense of community may feel far away even in spaces that supposedly align with what you are looking for. It is totally okay and can be beneficial to experiment with existing in different spaces, especially if you are unsure of what your values, beliefs, and interests are or if you want to move towards those spaces. Sometimes intention is required to focus on figuring out your priorities and finding spaces which align with your values, beliefs, and interests, and sometimes a reconfiguration of priorities is what is necessary.
Final Thoughts
Finding community can be difficult. It takes time, energy, and practice in putting yourself out there. Be patient with and kind to yourself. Keep your safety and expectation management in mind, but do not stand in your own way of accessing a greater sense of wellbeing for yourself amongst others. Consider speaking with a therapist to help keep you accountable and further your understanding of yourself on this challenging, rewarding journey. You got this. Happy Pride!
Sources
Gilbert, S. (2019). The Importance of Community and Mental Health. NAMI.
Park, E. Y., Oliver, T. R., Peppard, P. E., & Malecki, K. C. (2023). Sense of community and mental health: a cross-sectional analysis from a household survey in Wisconsin. Family medicine and community health, 11(2), e001971. https://doi.org/10.1136/fmch-2022-001971