Okay But Why Do We Need Community More Than Ever?
What’s your stress-level like these days? For many Americans, our anxiety was already pretty high after a stressful election season. Now we’re dealing with rising prices every time we go to the grocery store, a dramatic increase in job layoffs, and a pandemic that wasn’t that long ago – not to mention acting as caregiving for our children, elderly parents, or both.
With political chaos at an all-time high, many people say they can hardly bear to even look at the news. We recently ran a poll in our national online community and more than half of women said their mental health is hanging on by a thread. That’s not good!
In 2024, nearly 60 million Americans struggled with their mental health, with increases in conditions like anxiety and depression. And a 2024 survey from the American Psychological Association found that more than 70% of adults consider the country’s future a significant source of stress.
Okay, so… what can we do about it?
Mental health is a complex and personal thing, and if you’re able to access mental health care, like a therapist, that’s the first place to start. But there’s something else that can help too – an antidote to the loneliness epidemic and the powerlessness we’re feeling: Community.
Humans are social creatures, and being in community is a basic human need that is as essential to our survival as food or shelter. Our ability to connect with each other is what’s helped us thrive as a species. In fact, many anthropologists believe it’s why our brains are so big and why we survived over our ancient cousins like Neanderthals. We can communicate with someone we’ve never met about a shared goal and work together to accomplish it. It’s kind of amazing when you think about it!
Isolation Is Bad For Your Heath
In 2023, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an official advisory about an epidemic of loneliness, especially among older adults. It affects more than just our mood – it’s bad for our physical health, contributing to heart disease, stroke, dementia, diabetes, and high blood pressure. It even impacts our immune systems. People who are disconnected and lonely are twice as likely to die of one of these conditions as people who have strong communities.
Community connection isn’t just good for us as individuals. It’s also a powerful tool for social change. Every time we’ve won a victory for peoples’ rights – like being able to vote or establishing a minimum wage – it’s been because a whole community of people got together and decided to do something about it.
Find Your People
If you’re struggling with isolation and your stress level is through the roof, finding community will help. When you get together with other women, you can make friends that carry you through the tough times and celebrate with you in the good times. Community is the foundation of everything we do at Red Wine & Blue, and we’ve built spaces for you no matter where you are, both online and in-person.
If you’re looking for a local community, check out our TroubleNation program! It’s a network of more than 800 groups across the country who are supporting each other and making real change – in their local town, at a national level, and everything in between. And if you can’t find a group in your area, we can help you start one. If you’d rather find an online community, check out our national group, SWEEP.
Every day, we hear from members who say that connecting with other women has made them feel energized and is giving them hope. One SWEEP member said that joining a TroubleNation group is what’s getting her through the chaos right now. “Which is very weird,” she said, “because l’m a definite introvert … but being with like minded patriots has been my saving grace.”
In these chaotic and stressful times, community is more important than ever. It isn’t just good for our hearts and minds, it’s good for our country. When women with shared values get together, there’s no stopping us. Ready to find your people? Click here to look for a TroubleNation group near you. Or join our national community here.
