Why should you consider joining a support group? They can feel like an extended family. I love this quote from Gladys Hunt:
“What is home? My favorite definition is ‘a safe place,’ a place where one is free from attack, a place where one experiences secure relationships and affirmation. It’s a place where people share and understand each other. Its relationships are nurturing. The people in it do not need to be perfect; instead, they need to be honest, loving, supportive, recognizing a common humanity that makes all of us vulnerable.”
Sometimes our family of origin (as much as they love us) cannot always provide “a safe place” to process our life challenges. But support groups can be a great option to “experience secure relationships and affirmation”!
Here are 5 additional benefits of support groups that are too big to ignore!
1. Grow through shared experiences! Imagine a safe place to get things off your chest. Sharing your own experiences with others can help ease your emotional burden and help you recognize you are not alone. And, as others in the group share their experiences you can gain valuable insight and wisdom on how others deal with similar situations.
2. Learn new coping strategies! There are a wide variety of support group and many focus on learning and practicing specific coping skills. In addition, in any group you join, you will learn coping skills from people who’ve found success using them first-hand.
3. Boost your mood! Being around and connecting with others has been shown to boost mood and increase a sense of optimism. As you benefit from the group experience, you can also help other group members as you make progress. You will notice you feel better when you are able to help others on their journeys!
4. Improved Self-Understanding! Learning how to cope with your challenges allows you to understand yourself and your unique characteristics better.
5. Affordability! A great advantage of support groups is they are typically very affordable. At Innovia Behavioral Health we offer unlimited virtual experiential, education, therapeutic, and support groups for one low monthly flat rate!
If you haven’t yet participated in a support group and would like to give it a try, reach out to me! I’d love to share what we are doing at Innovia Behavioral Health and help you find the best groups for you! Isn’t it time you started to live a happier and healthier life? Think about it. What types of support groups could support you achieving your current goals and help you Feel.Better.™?
Debi Anson LMSW, CAADC
Innovia Behavioral Health
danson@innoviabh.com (contact Debi for special rates!)
