HEALTH AND WELLBEING.

Support. 

“No man is an island” wrote John Donne, acknowledging that we are interconnected and that as humans we require each other.

Our health and wellbeing- how we flourish- are often conceived as an individual pursuit, however health is both individual and collective. Our capacity to cope, to heal, and to grow is realised not only by our inner resources but also by the presence of care, understanding, and support.

Through support, we relay care- a sense of togetherness, of connection. Cultivating connection is an art, that faces hurdles, yet not impossibilities in modern times.

In her book “Daring Greatly” Brene Brown explores how cultivating connections requires us to embrace the vulnerability that our cultural and social ideals tend to encourage we shield.

Capitalism and the hierarchal structures that we have been raised in that have instilled within us a quest for individualism and authoritarianism, which has been the antithesis to inclusion and collaboration. It can foster it’s opposite- disengagement and competition. Competition; whilst not always negative- it can offer motivation and opportunities for growth- but yet may not always a source of nourishment or care. Care and support is vital and vitalising. Elemental to every aspect of our lives. It reminds us that our lives are relational and we are shaped by the care that we give and we receive.

It is a question to ask ourselves, what is support and what does it feel like? How can I offer it to ourselves and where possible each other?

12 March 2026.

References and Further Reading.

Brown Brene, 2012, Daring Greatly. How the Courage to be Vulnerable Transforms the way we live, love, parent and lead, Penguin Publishing, USA.

Image. Lottie Hampson.