Social Support - Video Transcript

Hey guys, I'm Kristen, the anxiety therapist, and thank you for checking out my vlog. I'm sorry I was MIA last week; my son had surgery, and I am still feeling a bit under the weather. So, I was trying to practice what I preach, so to speak, and prioritize what was most important. Unfortunately, creating a video did not make the list, but I am back this week to share some helpful information with you. Today, I'm going to talk about the importance of social support when it comes to mental health. This isn't just the case for people struggling with anxiety, but it pertains to everyone. As human beings, we are social creatures, and we need to feel connected to others.

There are a few different types of social support. The first is emotional. This refers to someone who provides a shoulder to cry on or keeps you company if you're feeling lonely or stressed and need to vent. This is what most people think of when they think of social support. Then there's instrumental support. This is more of a tangible or physical assistance that you provide to someone with an immediate need. An example might be cooking dinner for a friend who just had a baby or helping an elderly parent with grocery shopping. Lastly, there's informational support, which includes giving guidance, advice, or mentoring someone through a significant or minor decision.

The tricky thing is that people often blend emotional and informational support, which can create some problems. Often, what someone needs is emotional support, which is more validating. It lets them know that you understand, you would feel the same way, and you're sorry they're experiencing that. It shows compassion and empathy and validates how they feel. However, as a society, we tend to give informational support, telling a person what we think they should do or relating back to something we've experienced. While that can be useful, it's not always what the recipient needs, and it can actually make things worse instead of being supportive.

One thing you can do is to be clear about what you need when providing or receiving social support. Are you looking for someone to give you advice, or are you looking for someone to say, "That's a crappy situation, and I'm sorry you're going through that"? Getting clear on what someone needs in a situation is essential, and it might be different from what you need or what another person needs. Everybody's needs are specific, so being open and communicative about them is crucial.

I hope you found this information useful, and stay tuned for more content next week. Take care.