Why having a positive support network is good for your health
People often look for various ways to help improve their health; be that the food they eat, the sleep they have, the movement they do, or the information that they consume. Many things influence the quality of our health. Our health also can play a pivotal role in how well we thrive. It can also dictate our ability to care for those we are close to. All of these factors ebb and flow throughout our lives.
The people around us, and the role they play in our day-to-day lives can have a very real influence on our general wellbeing - both physically and mentally.
Having a positive support network - or a 'family' - is often considered a 'protective factor'.
"This is a term that arises in some of the literature on families, to suggest that being in a strong family can insulate family members from some of the challenges which are normally associated with poor outcomes." - Children’s Commissioner.
At Daybreak we know that someone’s family is not necessarily defined by biology or law; but by love, trust, and support. This protective factor can help in many areas of someone's life, including the well-being of family members, long-term outcomes for children, and the ability to withstand challenges.
How does our work at Daybreak help?
As a charity working alongside families and communities, we are advocates for people finding and nurturing a positive support network. We like to cast the net far wider than just those living in our households, or our close family. We encourage people to explore the support of wider family, friends, neighbours, colleagues or community members.
This is true for families we support via Family Group Conferencing and those Children and Young people supported via our Lifelong Links services.
We also advocate for transparency to help those we work. This helps everyone to fully understand the challenges being faced, and potential risks as well as everyone's view (especially the child's) on the situation. When people are better informed, they can make better decisions.
Daybreak focuses on solutions and outcomes by working with families, children and young people to find a way forward. It can sometimes be relatively simple interventions that can help resolve the concerns.
Some actions may include:
Having a family What's App group to ensure clear communication
Arranging practical support for activities such as hospital appointments or school runs
Agreeing for someone to visit or call at certain times so they know they will be able to rely on that conversation
Planning respite for parents or carers to give people breaks while helping nurture relationships between other members of the family
Accessing additional support from groups, charities, or services
Agreeing ways to support reunification between family members or children to reconnect
Nominating someone to check in to help keep plans on track
How can you support yourself in similar ways?
When you don't have organisations like Daybreak facilitating support but you're facing a challenge in your life, take a moment to ask yourself:
Who can I seek help from? consider people who could offer emotional, practical, and safety support. Include those who can help others in your household as well as yourself. Reach out to them.
How can we all communicate well? Is there are way that you can bring everyone together to communicate, whether virtually or in-person? How can you all be on the same page to better understand what is going on, and how they might be able to help?
What solutions could we explore? Ask your network what ideas they have and keep an open mind - often these conversations create opportunities to look at things differently
Are the solutions clear for everyone? Is everyone happy with what has been agreed? Are your solutions manageable or do you need to make sure things are super clear for all involved?
Who is going to help make sure it is working? It can be useful to ask someone to keep a check on the plans and make sure that they are working. Often we need to rethink things, and that is okay.
By reaching out and asking for help - we can put things into place to ensure that the challenges we face are more manageable. Small or big, everyone has situations where they need someone else to help them. By tackling life together, the challenges often get smaller. As a result, we are better able to cope with both the day-to-day and the hurdles that appears along the way.
Who will you reach out to today?
Follow our social media on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn for more support, advice and information about our support.