External Influences on Your Mental Health
Here at True Core Health, we are all about looking inward as we cultivate our relationship with ourselves. Some of our favorite practices for this include therapy, breath work, intentional movement, boundary setting, and journaling.
While our relationship with Self is essential to our overall health + wellness, it is certainly not the only factor. This month in the Collective we’re focusing on the external influences that impact our mental health + wellness.
You see, we’re missing out on a lot of potential growth and upward movement if we’re neglecting to look at ourselves in a holistic manner — one that considers the systems that shape us internally as well as externally.
Bronfenbrenner’s (1974) work took an individual’s context (or ecology) into account when assessing who and what influences and affects them. This is shown through his Ecological Systems Theory, consisting of 5 identified ecosystems, from the most intimate system to the most expansive: microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem and the chronosystem.
Let’s dive into our external influences by utilizing Bronfenbrenner’s work. Below is a brief description of each of these systems followed by some reflection questions.
One’s microsystem refers to their direct and immediate environment. This could include family, friends, coworkers, colleagues, neighbors, etc. We've all heard the quote "You're the average of the five people you spend the most time with" and while not 100% true (we are much more than just that...), there is still a lot of truth within this quote, being that who we choose to surround ourselves with makes big a difference in our lives and how we interact with the world.
One’s mesosystem includes the interactions between their microsystems, with the main point being that microsystems assert influence upon one another. An example could include how an individual’s coworkers interact with their friends from outside of work. Say you’re celebrating your birthday and inviting both of these groups to your party. Whether or not your coworkers and friends from outside of work get along has an impact on your life — which most definitely includes the vibe of your party.
The exosystem indirectly influences an individual. An instance of this could be if one’s partner had a bad day at work. If the partner comes home exhausted and annoyed, this will affect the individual.
The macrosystem encompasses the cultural elements which affect an individual, such as socioeconomic status, sexual identity, wealth, gender identity, poverty, religious affiliation, and ethnicity. Culture that individuals are immersed within are likely to affect their attitudes and beliefs about life.
The chronosystem includes all of the environmental changes that occur over one’s lifetime which influence development, including major life transitions and historical events. This would most definitely include the past couple of years of our global pandemic.
Some self-reflection questions for further exploration:
How do your immediate relationships affect you (microsystem)? Take a few minutes to think about the 5 people you spend the most time with and start to notice how you feel as you think through each of these people.
Where do you see conflict happening within your mesosystem? How about peace?
Which macrosystems are important to you? How about to those in your microsystem? What are some ways you can actively engage with your macrosystem?
What is the most recent chronosystem event that has been affecting you?