Social Support
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”
Every year, the Boston Marathon attracts thousands of runners from around the world. If you had attended the 2009 event, you might have seen a notable pair of contestants cross the finish line: one in a wheelchair and the other steadily pushing from behind. Dick Hoyt and his son Rick had been competing in races together since 1977, when Rick, who was born with cerebral palsy, asked his father to push him in a five-mile charity race for a recently paralyzed athlete. Over the next nearly forty decades, the father-and-son duo participated in a host of competitions, even completing several Ironman races. The 2009 Boston Marathon was the 1,000th event that they finished together.
Team Hoyt is not the only example of people who have accomplished incredible feats by working together. Just as authors frequently acknowledge those who supported them in the writing and publication process, each of us can hopefully name the individuals who have helped us get to where we are today. So, for our final strategy section, we want to focus on how you can leverage the power of social support as you embrace discomfort. Research suggests that you will be more likely to engage in growth-seeking behavior if you believe that others will be there to support you (Jiang et al., 2023). Therefore, one way to engage with discomfort more effectively may be to make sure that you are not doing it alone.
Put it into practice:
Make a plan for how you will embrace discomfort and share that plan with someone else. Choosing to confide in someone whom you admire or respect may increase your motivation to follow through with your plan due to the desire to be seen positively by them (Klein et al., 2020). In other words, sharing your intentions with a mentor or boss may be more effective than sharing with a coworker or peer.
Join a group that is dedicated to embracing discomfort. Alcoholics Anonymous is a great example of the power of social support, and other effective groups include book clubs, volunteer organizations, religious communities, and outdoor clubs. Engaging with discomfort can be easier when you surround yourself with people who are making similar efforts. After all, if they can do it, why can’t you?
If larger groups aren’t your thing, find an accountability partner. For example, if one of your goals is to exercise more consistently, get a gym buddy. This is one strategy that I (Mikaela) can personally attest to. Waking up at 6 a.m. to work out feels nearly impossible on my own, but I’m much less likely to bail out when I know that my friend is there waiting for me.