Building and Healing in Community
The importance of healing while in community cannot be overstated. Often, communal care isn't just seeing your professional coach or therapist; it's those who share our experiences and challenges.
Activist, Civil Rights Leader, Author and Martin Luther King's Wife, Coretta Scott King, was right when she said: "The power of this nation can be the power which makes us whole and heals the rotten community, now so shattered by war and poverty and racism. I have great faith in the power of women who will dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to the task of remaking our society." Community is always at the heart of women, and women are at the heart of the community.
Now, communal care doesn't have to be the greater community where you go to support groups. These certainly have their place, but what about your community? One of the most powerful tools in communal healing is holding space. This means listening without judgment, offering empathy, and creating an environment where others feel safe to share their struggles. Whether in a women's circle, a book club, or a virtual support group, holding space sparks connection and belonging, helping us realise we're not alone in our journeys.
Practical ways to engage in communal healing include hosting regular check-ins with close friends or organising small gatherings to discuss mental health and personal growth. If this is what you crave, perhaps you need to initiate it. Being part of a community helps us reflect, share wisdom, and lean on one another for emotional support.
Healing in community teaches us that we don't always need to have the answers; sometimes, simply being present is enough. It shows us the power of collective resilience and helps us build stronger support systems, which are essential for long-term mental well-being.
One of the questions we hear often is, how do you build community?
Building a Supportive Community
To create a supportive community, it is essential to:
Establish a sense of belonging: Don't wait for someone else to create the right environment. Even if it's just three or four of you, that's still a community. Extend to others what you want—to feel safe, as though you belong, and to feel valued, regardless of background or circumstances.
Encourage open communication: Create a safe space where you and your girls can express themselves freely and honestly. Nurture and protect this space by safeguarding the things they tell you when vulnerable. If you want perspective about what they've shared with you, ask for permission first.
Build trust and reliability: Develop relationships based on mutual trust and support. Show that you can be trusted and vulnerable enough to trust them with what you carry mentally and emotionally. Otherwise, relationships can start feeling superficial.
Celebrate diversity: Embrace the unique qualities and perspectives of each individual.
Organise events and activities: Even if it starts with you and a friend and a colleague that they've wanted to spend time with, create opportunities to connect in other ways if you haven't found a community near you that does so.
Lean in during this season. We need one another now more than ever.