The Laughter Clinic
The Laughter Clinic brings a refreshingly different approach to mental health education. Host Mark McConville, Australia's only full time professional Comedian/Suicidologist, delivers evidence-based self-care strategies, curated research insights, and meaningful conversations that inspire, educate and entertain.
The Laughter Clinic
Social Health: What is it and why it's important.
An unexpected birthday barbecue with over 30 friends becomes a powerful reminder of the critical importance of social health alongside mental and physical wellbeing. Mark shares his personal experience of reconnecting with friends after months apart and explores how these connections provide essential emotional support, reduce loneliness, and create a meaningful sense of belonging.
• Social health involves building and maintaining interpersonal relationships and effectively navigating different social situations
• Strong social connections reduce feelings of loneliness, stress, anxiety and depression
• Friends provide emotional and practical support, helping build resilience during difficult times
• Shared laughter and planning future catch-ups creates anticipation
• The sense of belonging to a community significantly improves quality of life and life satisfaction
The challenge: Be the one to reach out and organise a catch-up with people you've been missing – it's worth the effort and it will fill your cup.
You matter, you're important, so be kind to yourself and be kind to those around you.
"If you or someone you know needs support, please contact one of these Australian mental health services. In an emergency, always call 000."
Lifeline Australia
Phone: 13 11 14 (24/7)
Web: lifeline.org.au
Suicide Call Back Service
Phone: 1300 659 467 (24/7)
Web: suicidecallbackservice.org.au
Beyond Blue
Phone: 1300 22 4636 (24/7)
Web: beyondblue.org.au
Kids Helpline (for people aged 5-25)
Phone: 1800 55 1800 (24/7)
Web: kidshelpline.com.au
MensLine Australia
Phone: 1300 78 99 78 (24/7)
Web: mensline.org.au
SANE Australia (complex mental health issues)
Phone: 1800 18 7263 (10am-10pm AEST, Mon-Fri)
Web: sane.org
QLife (LGBTIQ+ support)
Phone: 1800 184 527 (3pm-midnight AEST)
Web: qlife.org.au
Open Arms (Veterans & Families Counselling)
Phone: 1800 011 046 (24/7)
Web: openarms.gov.au
1800RESPECT (sexual assault, domestic violence)
Phone: 1800 737 732 (24/7)
Web: 1800respect.org.au
Headspace (youth mental health, ages 12-25)
Phone: 1800 650 890 (9am-1am AEST)
Web: headspace.org.au
13YARN (Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander crisis support)
Phone: 13 92 76 (13YARN) (24/7)
Web: 13yarn.org.au
Music produced by Hayden Smith
https://www.haydensmith.com/
Welcome to the Laughter Clinic Podcast with comedian and suicidologist Mark McConville, bringing you practical, evidence-based self-care strategies, the latest research in mental health, along with conversations that inspire, educate and entertain. This is the Laughter Clinic Podcast with your host, mark McConville.
Speaker 2:Hey folks, mark McConville, here and today I want to have a quick chat with you about social health and why it's important. So something happened on the weekend that I wasn't really expecting, but I've got to tell you it was fantastic. So Saturday night had a birthday barbecue to go to in the family and I went there expecting that there was going to be maybe six or eight people there. It was going to be a pretty quiet affair, but in actual fact when I got there there was like 30 plus people, lots of friends that I haven't seen in a long time, and it was just incredible. You know, some of these people I might only see once or twice a year and I've got to tell you. Throughout the night I said to a few of my friends you have no idea, I didn't realize how much I needed this catch up with everybody. It really filled my cup and they were the same. They said you know, we go through our lives and before we know it, you know, we're so caught up with everything we go. Man, it's been months since we've caught up with anyone or seen our friends, you know. So it was really eye-opening situation. I personally didn't realise how much I needed that social connection with everybody and because I do talk about this in my laughter clinic presentations mental health, physical health, but social health is so incredibly important.
Speaker 2:So what is it? Well, it's basically the ability to build but not only build, but maintain interpersonal relationships on an ongoing basis and as you build your social health. It gives you the ability to communicate effectively and navigate different social situations. Communicate effectively and navigate different social situations, which is a fantastic life skill to have. Why is it important? Well, it's important for our mental health because, firstly, it reduces our sense of loneliness, and increasing social connectedness with other people is very important. It can reduce stress, anxiety and depression. Obviously, if you suffer from social anxiety disorder, well then navigating a social situation is a challenge, but for the vast majority of us, social situations with our friends and family are pleasurable events and we have these support networks that you know. When we're there with our friends, we realise that. You know they offer us emotional and practical support which helps us build resilience. When we're that, you know they offer us emotional and practical support which helps us build resilience when we're going through tough times, because we know we're not alone. We've got people that are in our corner to help us get through.
Speaker 2:And that sense of community is so incredibly important, like that feeling of belongingness, you know, to a community of friends or a sporting community or whatever it is. But having a sense of belonging to a community helps improve quality of life and levels of life satisfaction. It really does. There's been tons of research to support all of that. And how good is it when you're laughing with your friends, you get a group of friends that you share this similar sense of humour. Oh man, we laughed on Saturday night about. You know so many things.
Speaker 2:And the other thing is is that it encouraged us to future plan catch-ups. You know things to look forward to. You know, yes, let's organise a game of golf. Yes, let's organise a camping trip and let's make it happen and have it be not months and months on end before between catch-ups. So that's the challenge for this week If you've got people in your life that you miss and that you feel as though you know, I really could do with a social catch-up with everybody, be the one to reach out and organise it and make it happen. It can be hard, granted, to get everybody that you want to catch up with in the same place at the same time. But if you stick with it and try and organise it, you know it's really. You'll be amazed how well worth it it is. It is so worth it. It's worth the effort because it'll fill your cup it really will. My name's Mark McConville. You matter, you're important, so be kind to yourself and be kind to those around you.
Speaker 1:Thank you're important, so be kind to yourself and be kind to those around you. Thank you for listening. The information contained in this podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes. It is not intended, nor should it ever, replace advice received from a physician or mental health professional. Want more info? Visit thelaughtacliniccomau. If you enjoyed the episode, please share and subscribe. Thanks again for listening to a Laughter Clinic podcast with your host, mark McConville.