August 2026
By Christine Tyrrell Baker, PhD, WellBeing CNY
Social belonging and community are essential aspects of wellness for all of us. And yet, when stressors increase, we can become out of sync with community. Rather than feeling seen, heard, and welcomed, we might feel neglected, discarded and undermined. Unpredictable times of change can result in walls being built between us, rather than walls coming down to reveal our common goals and common needs. The nurture of our communities is at times fragile, and by stepping back to reflect, we can learn how to lean into relationships at these times when it is so easy to turn away.
On a psychological level, social wellness begins with presence. Being present to each other is harder than it seems and is directly related to how we feel. So, the most essential, basic step of social wellness, being present, is easily uprooted during times of stress. Being truly present to listen to each other, hearing where people come from and what they need, this is the glue of social wellness. There is no aspect of social wellness that emerges without presence.
Part of being present with each other is listening, but listening passively is enough. Listening and providing active feedback to each other is key to the felt experience of being seen. Active feedback not only clarifies understanding, when we listen and actively reflect our understanding with our words and/or actions, we communicate acceptance of each other. It is one thing to hear what someone is saying and another to hear it actively, doing the extra work of letting people know that we were listening, and that what they said matters to us. By listening and actively communicating understanding, people are welcomed to be authentic. When this happens, communities grow stronger on their own, a formidable sum of authentic parts that all feel the right to exist, moving forward together with strength and clarity.
Healthy connections thrive when we celebrate together and grieve together. Mutual celebration provides fuel for belonging and a sense that when one of us wins, we all win. While shared joy is a powerful community builder, we cannot afford to gloss over difficult moments. Rather than disconnecting in these moments, social wellness emerges through our willingness to engage in shared vulnerability. Through honesty, presence, and active listening, healthy relationships and communities use shared vulnerability to grow stronger.
I invite you to practice presence as you engage with members of our Syracuse University community. Through active engagement we will be reminded that it is possible to invest in people and prioritize relationship moments even when unsure of how best to show up for each other.