Social Wellness Month

by Abigail Knowles Wolfe (BPRW)

Manners, proper etiquette and the social graces have sadly become lost arts in our modern era. The social what!? This may be all the more reason to honor Social Wellness Month in July as we could all stand to brush up on the ways we interact with others in social settings. Etiquette is defined by Wikipedia.com as a code governing the expectations of social behavior. Codes prescribe the ways that people interact with each other based on respect for others in addition to the accepted customs of a society. What is considered proper etiquette varies from culture to culture and even varies throughout different regions of the country yet almost everyone could update their repertoire of good manners.

Southern hospitality and the social etiquette associated with the Southeastern United States stands out as genteel and well-mannered while the charms of New England’s social elite also play a major in role in what has historically been considered American etiquette. People raised in these environments are groomed from an early age to be cognizant of the way they interact with other people in a variety of situations. Remember that good manners and social etiquette are taught to us as children so that we are not only respectful to others in social situations but have the tools to feel confident that our behavior is appropriate in all contexts. Our etiquette is often a reflection of where we’re from and how conscientious we were raised to be when interacting with the world around us both material and otherwise. Respecting others property is also a sign of good manners.

This July and the whole year through why not focus on improving your own social wellness by working from the following list. You might just improve upon skills you forgot you once had!

Ask questions of others and refrain from talking about yourself excessively
Make others feel important and valued when relating to them
Be tactful when and if giving suggestions to others
Hand write thank you notes, not just for major events and occasions but for smaller acts of kindness as well
Think before speaking and try to keep conversation as positive as possible at social functions
Visit friends and neighbors and make the time to catch up with people you may not have seen in a while
Purchase a book or CD on modern day manners and social wellness and make note of new techniques
True class is treating everyone with respect and kindness regardless of social rank so practice kindness and patience everyday