Social Support

The article I chose to research this week was entitled "Social Support: Tap This Tool to Beat Stress". In it, there is a simple, but -in my opinion- true statement: Having and maintaining a strong support network can be crucial in helping you through stress. ("Social Support", 2015). I definitely agree with this sentiment, as I know that I can always rely on my close friends and family to be there for me and my own family. An example for this is simply the fact that my wife and I are a military family. Standard military lifestyle is that we move every few years, whether it is far away from family or closer to them. We are always making new relationships, as well as maintaining the previous ones that we have from previous duty stations. I think that the military community is extremely close-knit. Something about being in the same situation as everyone else around you is very comforting, and allows for us to establish new relationships with other military members and their families easily.
The article continues to explain that a social support network is one made up of friends, family and peers, which is different from a support group, which is
While I understand the importance of maintaining a good social support network, I think that this is the hardest part for me. Keeping in touch with people when I don't see them at work every day makes it kind of difficult, and when we move from one side of the world to another, it almost becomes impossible! Although it has become easier to simply message old friends on Facebook every now and then, I feel like it's not the same as being able to have them over for dinner one night, or meet them for coffee outside working