Strategy 6: Social connection

What is social connection?

Social connection refers to your relationships and interactions with other people. It includes feeling close to and supported by family, friends, peers and the community. Staying socially connected is really important for your mental and physical health. In fact, strong social connections can help people live longer, healthier lives.

How are pain and connection related?

Social connection can influence how people experience and manage pain. Spending time with others keeps your brain and body active and can shift focus away from pain. Socialising can improve your mood and reduce stress and loneliness, which are things that can make pain worse. Staying connected with supportive people also builds networks that provide encouragement, understanding and practical help when managing pain.  

However, pain can get in the way of feeling connected to others. This might happen due to:

• Finding it hard to move around
• Feeling down, anxious or stressed
• Being tired or low on energy  
• Feeling other people, such as family, friends, teachers and peers, don’t understand what you’re going through
• Having lots of health and medical appointments

Because of these challenges, some people may start to:

• Spend less time with family and friends
• Stop doing usual hobbies or sports
• Miss school or social events

Over time, this can lead to feeling isolated or becoming disconnected from the people and activities you care about.

Even when you’re in pain, staying socially connected can boost your mood and help you stay active, which reduces the impact and severity of your pain. It’s important to keep in touch with the people and things that matter to you – even if you need to do things a bit differently.

How can I stay connected when I have pain?

Start by asking yourself:

• Has my pain made it hard to be around other people or join in with social things?
• In what ways has my pain made it harder to be social?
• Do I miss school or sport because of my pain?

Understanding the challenge to staying connected can help you find the right solution. For example,

• If moving is difficult, try using Strategy 2: Movement to help you stay active
• If your mood is affected, Strategy 4: Relaxation might help. It is also important to talk to a trusted adult – sometimes extra support from a healthcare professional can make a big difference.
• If you’re feeling tired or not sleeping well, using Strategy 5: Sleep habits could help.

If you’re not sure where to start, talking to a trusted adult can be a helpful first step. The Pain Navigator can also help point you in the direction!

Here are some suggestions for staying connected when you’re experiencing pain:

• Start a new hobby that you can do with family or friends. If movement is limited, try something that can be done sitting down or online like cards, puzzles or games.
• Invite a friend over for a movie night, games or just to hang out.
• Chat with friends online or over the phone.
• Support your sports team by cheering them on from the sidelines if you can’t play.
• Try going to school for part of the day if a full day is too much. For more tips about school, visit Pain Bytes Pain and School | Pain Management Network
• Join an online community or group based on your interests (like art, books, music or gaming) – remember to be safe online! For some tips about how to figure out if online information is reliable, visit the eSafety website: Critical thinking | What is critical thinking? | eSafety Commissioner
• Join school clubs or online extracurricular activities with flexible participation options.
• Make plans to go out ahead of time so you can prepare and pace yourself. Start small and choose shorter outings to begin with.