Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/160497
Wellness By Cecile Andrews Tamela Thomas, Wellness Manager tamelat@wac.net 206.464.4639 Understanding our need for connection W e launched the WAC Wellness department 15 years ago. Our first order of business was to define the word "wellness." It was a buzzword at the time, and many people were trying to define it on their terms. Hospitals began to call their prevention care services "wellness services." Spas created "wellness packages" that sought to rejuvenate you from head to toe. And corporations started hearing about and experimenting with the term "corporate wellness" in regards to some of their employee benefit programs. We launched our department with the following definition of wellness: The simultaneous and efficient interaction of mind, body and spirit. That definition served us well out of the gate. After a few years, however, it became clear that this definition could only take us so far. In order to enrich members' lives, we needed more. And so began our journey to more accurately define what we have come to understand as wellness. Today, our definition has broadened in scope and is more relevant than ever. Simply put, WAC Wellness is a deeprooted understanding and appreciation for our intimate connection to all things. Never has there been a time where we more needed to understand and appreciate our place and connections—to each other, our families, community, country, and to the natural world. I know that may sound lofty to some, but it is a strong basis for our well-being. This month's Wellness article reminds us of the benefits group connections can bring. Why joining a group could save your life Believe it or not, we're better together W hen I was little, I joined Camp Fire Girls. Later, I dropped out because I thought it was a waste of time. It was just a stupid little group, I thought. I knew I really should be spending my time reading and studying. I was growing up molded by the American ideal to achieve and accomplish. I learned to feel disdain for people who joined groups and to believe I was better because I wasn't "a joiner." Many years later, however, I discovered a book that changed my way of thinking. In Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, author Robert Putnam helps heal our American pursuit of loneliness and the extreme individualism that has trapped many of us in depression. Around the country, people are beginning to understand the problem of isolation. The research on happiness is clear. Although Americans believe that if we get rich we'll be happy, the true source of happiness is connection to other people. After a certain point, more money not only fails to bring more happiness, but it also can get in the way. Then again, many of us can read all the research we want and still not believe. Ask yourself this question: Do you think you realize how much you need human connection? The answer might astound you, and the trends don't look good. Most research on American connection shows that our interpersonal networks are declining. We have fewer friends than we did in past generations, and 25 percent of us have no one to speak with about matters of substance. I know what some of you must be thinking: Of course I have people to talk with. In fact, I exchange messages with them all the time on Facebook. Look, I just liked this picture. I'm not saying social media isn't a good thing. But social media research is in its infancy. As of right now, it's impossible to say whether our online connections adequately fill our needs or instead represent a deep desperation to connect combined with a societal ignorance about how to connect. If you think you're at risk of isolation and loneliness (or if you know you're at risk) please take this important first step—join a group. Live Longer One of the great things about WAC members is that you already belong somewhere. Taking that a step further can make a huge difference. By joining a more intimate group, be it a club within the Club or some other group, you can dramatically improve your health and quality of life. In fact, increasing evidence shows a direct correlation between the presence of groups and a country's overall happiness. Denmark is considered one of the happiest countries, and 95 percent of its citizens belong to some sort of group. In Bowling Alone, Putnam says that if you aren't a member of a group right now and you join one, you'll cut in half your chance of dying in the next year. Think about that! Not only are people who belong to groups healthier and happier, but they also feel more positive about their government and its commitment to fairness and democracy. What seems to happen is that people in groups get more civically 24 | Washington Athletic Club Magazine | SEPTEMBER 2013