Identifying Your Support Systems

What is a support system and why are they important?

Humans by nature are social creatures and require social interactions. Being able to identify people in your life who act as your support system is an essential part of caring for your needs. Support systems come in various forms, such as family and friends. Support systems also extend to be teachers, coaches, coworkers, supervisors, neighbors, faith leaders, healthcare providers, and so on. Being able to identify who your support system is and what role each of these people play in your life.

How to identify your support system, who are you going to turn to, and for what reasons?

When you are going through a hard time, it is important to identify who in your life is the person that you can turn to. Recognizing and identifying the different dynamics of relationships means that who you will count as a support person might not be the same as someone else. For some people, their parents are a pillar of support in a crisis, but for others, that person might be a friend or a romantic partner. By evaluating your relationships, you might also then begin to identify who in your life identifies you as part of their support system and the level of support that you’re able to provide them. It is also important to identify what different support each of those identified people can provide. Is this someone who you might call if you are ill and need medicine from the store, or is it someone you would call when you need help moving furniture? Being able to identify these pieces will help you in your times of need, but also in maintaining healthy boundaries with others.

How strong is that support system? Are you pouring too much into one piece of your support system, and how is that impacting that relationship?

Other things to consider when evaluating your support system would be how strong is this support person. If you confide a secret in them, will they keep that confidentiality, or will they use it as a piece of gossip? Perhaps instead of confiding in this person, you’d be able to call on them when you are looking to put together a group to do a social activity with. Lastly, we want to ensure that we aren’t overwhelming our support system, so it is important to have a variety of people and places to act as support and respect boundaries. Making sure that we are utilizing other sources of support, such as therapy, exercise, tutoring, and mindfulness techniques, all of these pieces together can build a healthy and long-lasting support system.

Tips on developing a support system.

What are some things that you can do to help in developing a support system if you don’t currently have one? First, begin by identifying your needs. Is it emotional support or more motivational? Without having an understanding of where to begin, you won’t know what to ask support for. Reaching out to family and friends, and expressing your needs to those closest to you is a great way to begin developing your support system. If you are unsure what needs you have to begin asking for support, working with a therapist can help uncover and discover more about yourself, and helping you develop a support system that will fit your needs. If you are interested in scheduling an appointment with one of our providers regarding this blah issue, please click the button below to review our providers.

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