Find Your Tribe: How Communities Can Help Bring Back Your Inspired Glow

In the past, the community seemed like an archaic concept that needed geographical proximity to be made real. This all changed before the pandemic, when it was much easier to reach out digitally and find like-minded individuals who share similar sensibilities, values, and interests. 

According to University of Wollongong Australia Professor of Human Geography Chris Gibson: "Wanting to identify with a tribe is arguably still a very important basic part of what it is to be human,” he says. Being part of a group or a tribe likewise helps in shaping your identity. Being part of a certain group confirms one’s sense of self. 

These tribes or communities exist beyond the geographical and blood relations and into the realm of digital—as long as there is a means of communication, you can connect with each other. 

Here are more reasons why this finding your tribe can make a big difference:

1. You get to connect with like-minded people. 

Are you interested in Hollywood fashion, the British Royal Family, Harry Potter, or even K-dramas? Or you might like looking at interior design renovation, collecting stationery, fountain pens, BTS, mobile gaming, or even astrology. For sure, there’s a subgroup for you! You can find these communities everywhere—via Facebook Groups, Reddit groups, kumu, Clubhouse, or you can even find special Telegram or Whatsapp groups where you can join. There’s usually no barrier to entry, just the promise to adhere to community rules. For K-drama fans, we have a group called Metro K-Drama Club which just started during the pandemic, and is growing, active community of K-fever fans.

2. You have an instant support group.

Having a bad day at work, just scrolling through the feed of your Facebook group can bring a smile to your face because it’s about a topic that you’re interested in. At the same time, you have a group of people to lean on whenever you’re feeling blue—we’ve seen many personal sharing surround seemingly informative posts from different groups or subcultures. 

3. You can also support groups and communities that make a difference.

Likewise, you can also help other groups succeed in their goals! For example, for Unilever’s Own Your Beauty sale, a portion of the proceeds will go to Mano Amiga Academy. Mano Amiga, who is a long-time partner of Unilever, advocates community transformation and inclusive growth through education. Through this partnership, entrepreneurs will be given relevant skills training and will also be able to join Shopee to reach more shoppers and grow their businesses! 

4. You can manifest your goals.

You can learn from the group in how to fully maximize your unique hobby—and most of the information is given out freely, in the name of community and camaraderie! From advice on choosing your paint color (via Scandi Home Enthusiasts), fine-tuning your coffee recipe, or in finding the perfect destination for solo female travelers (via Women Who Travel); there are tons of tips and recommendations, sources of inspiration, and unique insights in store for you.

5. You can connect with people—sometimes without even meeting them!

You can be part of group, and yet never even meet face-to-face. Those late night heartfelt conversations about anything and everything under the sun can happen between strangers over Twitter or even through a My Drama List threaded conversation. As COVID-19 physically isolated us from our friends, families, and co-workers, it also opened up the world to virtual communities that let us connect with people from different parts of the world (and at different time zones as well). 

6. There are health and wellness benefits, too!

Being part of a community also contributes to your self-care routine. It eases isolation from working (or studying) from home, and at the same time, you also get an opportunity to help other people. “Human beings are social and desperately need connections with other people,” says Sarah Adler, PsyD, the clinical director of Octave. These communities also offer activities such as virtual classes, live sessions, AMAs, so you can connect in different ways. In the case of being part of a community that advocates movement and fitness—you’ll get plenty of tips and perhaps find that exercise buddy that you’ve been looking for!

Whether they’re for personal purpose or professional advancement, having a community can give a lot of benefits, but the most important of which is that sense of belonging and camaraderie—something that can in turn give you a healthy, satisfied glow.

Check out Metro.Style for more updates on the Unilever Super Brand Day from June 25-27 as you #OwnYourBeauty. Bring positive beauty to light with amazing offers on your favorite Unilever products:

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