3 essential ways social support helps beat work stress

Self-care is great, but you know what’s just as, if not even more, powerful?

Social connectedness.

AKA peer support.

AKA coworkers who care and have your back.

Of course, that’s often the first thing we blow up when we’re stressed.

Our relationships with each other become strained.

We take out our pain and frustration on our coworkers.

We withdraw and isolate ourselves.

This is a big problem because supportive relationships with our co-workers (and supervisor) help us stay well on the job.

Research shows that the amount and quality of the social support that a worker gets is not only an important indicator of well-being, but it also provides a critical buffer against daily work stresses.

Social support helps us beat work stress on 3 levels:

1. Prevention: It creates a comfortable, respectful, safe environment that prevents some stressors that can occur at work, such as gossip, micro-aggressions, and bullying
2. Coping: Trustworthy, supportive relationships help us cope with work stresses and build our overall resilience
3. Recovery: Good social support allows us to talk about the impact of stress and the challenges of the job, so we can recover from the impact and make any necessary changes

We really do need each other if we want to manage our stress at work.

One way to build (or repair) social support is through simple acts of appreciation and inclusion.

If you’re feeling stressed or disconnected, try one of these ideas:

• Invite someone to take a 5-minute coffee break or do a task with you, like stuffing Kongs. Yes, everyone is super busy, but as the old saying goes, “Many hands make light work” and being included in small stuff can go a long way in reducing the isolation that creeps in when our stress levels go up.
• Tell someone you appreciate them for what they do every day, “Thank you for patiently answering all of my questions!” Or share how they make your day a little better, just by being themselves, “I couldn’t get through cleaning the kennels without laughing with you every day!”

We’re all struggling these days. A little support goes a long way.

What’s one kind or helpful thing a coworker has done for you in the past 2 weeks? Consider telling them what they did (behavior) and why it made a difference (impact).

Not sure what to say? Here are some ideas.

And if you haven’t heard this enough lately, let me tell you: You’re doing a great job.